Saturday Morning May 31st

 Well its been work non stop all day that starts with a 5'is rollout. I do my usual routines of some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, then give thanks for another day and to lift up several who are less fortunate than myself for comfort and healing. I'm so blessed I can still work from sun up to sun down although I'm feeling it in my muscles each morning and just before a hot shower at bed time. I'm starting to see the affects of all those muscles aches as the outside property is taking shape with all of the garden  and flower beds worked over and up and ready for planting.

I did plant some Swiss chard and onion set as well as yellow squash and a Rosemary plant and then transplanted 4 tomato plants in the upper garden. Some of the bedding plants were in small 4 and 6 packs so I moved them up into larger pots for a week or so before setting them out in the garden proper. I did a lot of weeding and I can feel it in my fingers and hands as well as a lot raking and hoeing so the arms and back muscles from bending over feel the ache as well. Thankfully my work horse golf cart with a bed in the back is such a life saver as it maneuvers through the yards not only hauling my tools but any and all debris from the gardens where I deposit it in an area in the upper woods for use again next fall on my beds. That cart along with my gum boots have been a great investment as the dew is always wet in the morning and it would ruin any kind of shoe and the cart has paid for itself in saving me many steps up and down this hill, when using a wheelbarrow which I did for many years before purchasing the cart, oh well.

Nancy was in the house as she has very little resistance to either heat or cold. She had the heat on once again whereas I love to cool temps which is great for working outside. It did shower off and on a couple times during the day which set me back but we did see the sunshine for the first time today as its been damp, cool and foggy. Severe storms were east of us which dropped the temps down in the evening and over night and produced some high winds and its still blowing this morning. We ate good for the day with chicken on a bed of lettuces I brought from my Florida garden along with some kale. I'll soon have kale here as a couple of volunteer kale plants made it through the winter and the seeds have sprouted new seedlings. I'm a lover of leafy greens which are super foods for the body. We had brats for supper with fresh corn on the cob and a fried sweet tater. I watched a little of the Ray's game until shower time and then it was lights out for me around 10'ish.

Today I will sow some zinnias seeds I saved from last year as well as do some weed eating and some honey do's. There is always something to do here all of the time. Last evening during supper I'm always looking out into the large back yards which has several garden and flower beds and saw 5 wild turkeys in the yards. They were huge and I think we didn't see any last year so that was a first. Still no sign of the bear which has been spotted at several folks cabins who live on our road. We ordered a loud fog horn to carry with us when we hike the mountain that should help with scaring it away, LATER

Friday Morning May 30th

Well Thursday was a mixture of shopping and work but the temps were great for both as I started the day with the heat on and eventually the cabin warmed up enough we could turn the heat off. I think with everything inside being closed up for 7 months everything was still giving off coldness since we've only been here for two days and its been chilly, damp, overcast with fog and rain at times. I started the day with my usual 5'ish rollout to my routines which begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All are holding with this post.

We had a breakfast of avocado with olive oil, poached egg with some grits to start the gastric juices flowing before getting ready to head out to Sparta for mainly bedding veggies and flower plants and we found plenty at the local meat market which is like a general store that carries about anything you want as well as tons of bedding plants. Well we loaded up 3 large trays of them starting with tomato's 2 types, peppers two types, Swiss chard, lettuces 2 types, Rosemary, parsley, cucumbers, yellow squash and several varieties of flowering plants and some onion sets as well as some honey and beautiful red ripe tomato's for sandwiches. We next headed to Food Lion for a few items and a rotisserie chicken for our supper and enough left over for another meal or two as well as a couple frozen pizzas and some avocado's which we love and they are so good for you.

The mountains were covered in fog and we hit a little lite rain on the way home. It quit raining so I worked on two other garden beds and then brought out the electric rotor tiller and worked up 6 beds which worked up a sweat in me. That investment is a life saver for me as I used to do it all with a shovel and a hoe. I did find a couple volunteer tomato's plants in my old compost pile along with a couple kale plants which I transplanted them into pots in hopes they make for the garden in a few days. I did sow zinnias seeds from last years crop in two beds as well as marigolds seeds in the campfire circle bed which always looks great when they are in full bloom.

That kept me busy right up to 4'ish. Nancy did transplant the flowering bedding plants in the circle driveway which will look great once in bloom as the salvia was red, white and blue. Great patriotic colors. Well there were lots of other small honey do's as well as other gardening chores and by supper time I was worn out. Nancy microwaved a sweet tater then fried it and along with the rotisserie bird and fresh broccoli we ate well. We did get a lite rain and drizzle for an hour or so after dark. I watched the Rays vs Houston thru 6 and it was a tied game when I called it a night around 10:30. I'm sure feeling these worked muscles all over my body but loving the fresh cool temps and the quietness of the area as we are surrounded with mountain laurel in full bloom, LATER

Thursday Morning May 29th..in the mountains of N.C.

Well Wednesday was a total work day from my 5'ish rollout until after supper around 7 and I felt it right down to my toes. Yikes these hills in the yards are by them selves enough to wear you out, but thankfully the golf cart started right away and I used it all day long. What a life saver when it comes to carrying lots of stuff we brought from home to the basement and of course all of the weeds, grasses and pine needles from the garden and flower beds; more on those jobs later.

I started the day early as I was amped up after sitting for 14 hours in the truck and sleep wasn't coming due to all the chores I was facing the next day and of course it was a new bed and pillow and now coming down from a king size to a queen size bed is going to take a few days to get use to as well, plus Nancy hadn't changed in her snoring habit, oh well. I got up and did my quiet times and sat and listen to the mist dripping down from the tin roof onto the dormer in the stillness of the morning. I did my quiet time , giving thanks for the safe trip and just life and all of the blessings with much gratitude in finding the cabin in good shape as well as the yards, which had been mowed and weed eaten a week ago. That sure helped with lessening the need to clear a path through the high grasses. Since we had no internet initially but it did come on around 8'ish once the company realized they failed to turn it on after I spoke with tech support the night before. Oh well such is some of the challenges we face daily and I often wonder how we ever did with out the internet and a smart phone; of course I still don't use the phone or text since I retired.

I ventured out with a flashlight to put in the battery in the golf cart as well as the riding mower and with a few  adjustments to the terminals both fired up and the golf cart worked great all day long. I did have to air up the tires. Nancy made it out of the sack and prepared a mountain breakfast of bacon and eggs with toast. I had my cup of green earlier, but did drink a glass of buttermilk we brought from home and I didn't want it to spoil. Well I was outside the rest of the day until lunch time. We had a ton of yellow pollen from all of the pine trees in the area so I got a bucket of water and some mops and a push broom and the leaf blower and cleaned both front and back porches before I bring any porch furniture out from the shed. After that job I started on the weeding the flower beds and vegetable beds as well as raked and hauled all of the debris to spot up in the woods where I can get to it in the fall and one again use for cover as weed control. Those chores were the big ones but many little side jobs during the day.

Nancy had the heat all day and night as it is still over cast with fog but the rain at least stopped. I wore 2 shirts and long pants to work in while outside and what a change from just a couple days ago. It is great outside working conditions. I even was able to set up the ROKU TV all by myself after supper on the TV since we are no longer have TV programming in the area. I was surprised I was able to do it as I'm challenged on electronics and even my son in law who is tech savoy was amazed I was able to do it with out calling him, oh well. Nancy watched TV after a supper of Caesar salad, shrimp and a pasta bowl we brought from home. I was whupped and and did check the internet and some accounts as well as posted on Facebook but I was soon it the hot shower and was reading in bed around 9'ish and then lights out for me.

Today we will go in to Sparta and buy some bedding vegetable and flower plants. I did order some flowering seeds on line from Burpee yesterday and I have a few I brought with me plus I have tons of marigold and zinnias seeds from last year that I will sow as soon as I get their beds cleared of weeds and grasses and then rotor till the soil. No sign of the bear that has been bothering the neighbors and I did take out a couple of bird shot shells in case he comes around, LATER

Wednesday Morning May 28th In the mountains of N.C.

 Well Monday and Tuesday was mainly geared to leaving hot Florida as we made the Florida house ready to be empty for 5 months and to pack for what we need at the cabin, of course you have no idea the amount of clothes Nancy takes; it a good thing we have a truck. Amy our sweet beautiful daughter had us over for supper on Monday evening and then we made a quick stop in her 'hood to tell her neighbors and dear friends of ours good bye before heading home for some last minute packing.

I got up at 3 AM and loaded the truck, cleaned out the freezer and fridge contents in to 3 ice chests which were almost full with just enough room in the frozen items chest for some goodies at Sam's club in Winston before heading up the mountain. We did hit some rain about 3/4 of the trip in the Carolinas but this new way had us by passing Columbia and Charlotte which is just crazy with traffic and we met a few of them on this trip mainly in Florida.

What a change when we climbed the mountain from in the 60's to a low of 49 degrees and rain with fog and of course the cabin had been locked up for 7 months and even the dishes were stone cold, oh well. Our dear friends here had mowed and weed eated so the grass in the yards and gardens looked decent and not over bearing. There is lots of work to be done before son Bobby and family arrive in a week or so.

We had no internet as the company forgot to take it off vacation despite me calling a couple weeks ago, but Nancy had the I phone so she was in contact to let every one know we made it safely. I was up before 5 doing my morning routines of some Thanks to the Lord for a safe trip and that things looked good here after being alone for 7 months. Lots of the mountain laurels are in bloom and it beautiful to say the least. Well its time for some breakfast and I'll get back to my early morning ramnle starting on Thursday morning, LATER

Monday Morning May 26th..Memorial Day and 1 more day before departure.

Well Sunday started out with a 5 ish rollout which has become usual for me the last several months and I did my usual morning routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post. I watched Cornerstone Chapel on the internet at 8:15 and then we headed out to our local S.R.B.C. for the 10:30 service where we were privileged to greet folks at the front door. We also served our last Sunday here until the end of October. It was a great morning of greeting but also a sad one as we told many about our leaving tomorrow morning for 5 months. There were lots of hugs, handshakes and a few tears as we have gotten to know and love so many here in such a short time. I also brought the last of the collards and kale from the garden for several as well. Pastor Derek had a great message as did Gary Hamrick from Cornerstone.

We headed home afterwards to start the packing process as well as sorting and cleaning out stuff to get rid of before leaving. We ate a lunch from the fridge which was a salad and leftover grilled chicken for me and then for our supper was hot dogs and frozen spinach which doesn't travel well. Tonight Monday Amy and Tyler will cook for us so that will be nice and then I will pack the truck for an early morning departure around 4'ish.

We headed down town ST.Pete to a venue that was honoring 4 senior Keswick girls at a graduation party and wow was that ever nice and packed with tons of family and friends of the 4 girls, one of which was Ava Mae. We got to mingle and refresh old friendships as well as got to make many new friends as well from these 4 girls friends and family. It was a delightful event and Ava Mae was honored big time as were we. We made a stop at Sam's Club for gas at 2.88 a gallon and then at Aldi's for a couple items before heading home to piddle around until it was lights at 10 for me. I did watch a little of the NHL which was a blow out for Edmonton over the Dallas team.

Well since this will be my last post from hot sunny Florida until Fall I'll ask for traveling prayers for us for tomorrow as we make the 700+ mile trip to the mountains of N.C. Its in the 40's there for the morning temps and supposedly lots of rain. We will sure miss all of our families here as well as our small group members, neighbors and pickle ball buddies, but LORD willing we will be back in about 5 months or so. The next post will hopefully be from the cabin as I look out into woods as opposed to a neighbor side of the house here in HOT Florida, GOD Bless ALL, LATER

Sunday Morning May 25th..2 days to go

 Well Saturday was a fun day but once again the heat and humidity was over bearing with temps at 103 in the afternoon in Tampa, wow that is a first for here in a long time. We will so look forward to the cool temps and damp weather which we will be facing us when we arrive on Tuesday afternoon, but any thing is better than triple digits and no rain, oh well. The day started with my usual 5'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, 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 to check on the last of the garden here in Florida for this summer and hand watered the kale and collards and this morning I will harvest the last of them to give away at church and then tomorrow I will take out their stalks and rotor till that area. I also hand watered the new sod which has now just about covered up the bare area where the big oak once stood. We sure miss the shade from the big oak as that was a contention of mine for keeping it. I gave the front shrubs which have done well since we put them in the ground and I'm hoping they have established enough to survive with out me hand watering them until the rainy season comes. 

I caught up on some small honey do's before we got ready to head to Tampa and watch Sam participate in a jiu jitsu competition at USF where hundreds of folks from some as young ages 4 and up to some that looked to be in their 40's competed in an arena with 12 mats. Sam had a rough compete as he won one match out of four, but he was aggressive against larger boys supposedly his age. It was a tough day as the waiting took its toll as his matches were constantly being pushed back. We were there around 3 hours and only minutes before we had to leave, did he get to participate and then the matches were almost back to back which didn't give him much recover time, oh well. We were certainly proud of him and his toughness.

We got back and had just about 20 minutes to get ready to head out with Dan and Carol to the Tracy's place for supper and cards. It had cooled down to 95 at our place which is unheard of because of the breeze off the water surrounding Pinellas County, but the difference from 103 to 95 was telling despite the bright sunshine. I'm still amazed at the amount of folks living in the Bay Area with all of the traffic still clogging the roadways on not a work day, of course it a holiday weekend and folks are out to the beaches but I believe it was unhealthy to be outside for long periods in the high heat index, oh well. Just walking from the arena to the truck was intense and of course our ages made a difference I'm sure.

Kathryn had a lasagna and we brought a Caesar salad and Carol a delicious avocado dessert which believe it or not tastes like chocolate pudding with whipped cream and fruit on top. Delicious to say the least. We played 4 rounds of hand, knee and foot and the gals smoked us on the last hand after we were ahead at one time by thousands. We got back home just before 10 and it was shower time for me and then some NHL just for a few minutes before lights out.

Today will be our last Sunday greeting at S.R.B.C. until we hopefully get back in November. There will be lots of hugs and handshakes and a few tears as we say so long until then, LATER

Saturday Morning May 24th..3 days to go

Well I must say the heat and humidity is unbearable after the early morning hours and its nice to know in a couple of days we will see and feel some more moderate temps, so much so thats its almost wonderful for us and unthinkable for those we know and love to be here in Florida. I worked out side for a couple hours in the early morning and my shirt was dripping sweat and it hadn't even gotten past mid morning and last evening at 10 'ish it was still in the upper 80's, oh well.

I started the morning on Friday with my usual 5'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding with this post. After breakfast I headed out for a hair cut and skipped any pickle ball for a change as I said my good byes yesterday morning. After getting back I headed outside to mend the back yard fence from the tree damage a neighbor's tree did to my fence from the last hurricane. I was hoping his insurance company would replace those damaged panels, but no, as I never heard a word from them, anyhow I had to replace 7 panels which thankfully I had on hand from when I installed the new fence a couple years back and they were left overs. By the time I finished that job it was so hot and muggy and the heat index was close to a 100 degrees, yikes, so I headed in to the a/c and stayed that way cooling off for most of the rest of the day.

Nancy was off shopping for some last minute items so I watched the world news until lunch time and the since we had a "mountain breakfast " of sausage, eggs , sliced tomato and toast I had a handful of nuts until suppertime. We were due to be at our local church where Keswick School was holding their graduation ceremonies in our large auditorium for our grand daughter Ava's event. Bobby our son and family all came for the event which was packed with close to 800 folks as the place holds around 850 folks. It was a great ceremony and of course many attend out church as well and we all made those who do not attend here feel welcome. It started at 7 and lasted close to two hours. Afterwards we were to meet at a local eatery for dessert in Pinellas Park but the wait to get a table for 8 of us was close to hour and it already was close to 10 by the time we got there, so Nancy and I skipped out as did Bobby and family. who left from the church after the event.

After a shower it was close to 10:30 before I actually called it a night. Today we are supposed to go to USF to watch grand son Sam participate in a jiu jitsu event in the morning and early afternoon and then head to the Tracy's for supper around 5"ish. Sunday will be another full day with church and then a graduation party in the afternoon so that leaves Sunday night and all day Monday to get ready and leave on Tuesday morning around 4 AM, LATER

Friday Morning May 23rd...4 days to go

Well Thursday was a day of mixed emotion as we celebrated Amy's 42nd birthday here in the evening and then I played my last pickle ball matches for this summer with the gang at the Rec. I had started the day with my usual 5'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. The list is getting longer now with a couple additions. All are holding but one is very ill and not doing well. I soon headed out to the Rec on my bike for a great workout with all A players and left after an hour and half soaked with sweat and made the bike ride home despite being whupped and worn out. There were lots of hugs and handshakes on the way out with many well wishes. I will miss this almost daily exercise as well as these fine folks. After a little breakfast I headed outside for an hour or so until it became just dad gum hot and muggy. 

I did pull up all the marigolds in the front planter as that would save Amy and the gang who will be taking care of the yards from having to do so and then dug up the rest of the carrots which were plentiful. I did some hand watering on the kale and collards which are holding on until I can harvest them to give away at church on Sunday to some folks I promised. The heat is taking it toll but despite wilting during the day they return over night and actually look good. I have the yards in good shape for when Tyler and the grands come over to make the house and yards presentable while we are gone for 5 months. Next door Bobby will park one of his cars in my driveway as well which helps him but makes it look like some one is here as well. He also edges my yards when ever he mows his yard next door.

I spent the afternoon doing some piddly inside jobs as we start to assemble things we will be packing and make arrangements to shut down some things here and open some things up at the cabin. We will be busy the next couple of days before packing the truck on Monday evening as we have Ava's graduation ceremony this evening at our church which allows Keswick School to use our large auditorium and then on Saturday we will travel to USF in Tampa for Sam's jiu jitsu competition and then head to Patrick and Kathryn's for dinner. Sunday will be our last service at S.R.B.C. for 5 months and then more packing that will occur until the graduation party for Ava from 3-6 PM in south St Petersburg. Monday is the final day of putting the house in order then packing the truck after dinner at Amy's house. So it will be non stop thinking ahead and getting the house ready to leave for the summer. I'm so looking forward to cooler temps as it been down into the upper 40's a couple morning but not much over the upper 70's for highs, WOW will I ever be thrilled with that, LATER

Thursday Morning May 22nd...5 days to go

 Well it is down right hot and muggy here and no rain with temps above normal and its miserable to be outside in the afternoon until late evening. I've been able to work outside until lunch time but after that its inside in the a/c until after supper and then you sweat like a sauna when doing any physical activity outside. The forecast is for a hotter than usual summer here and I'm totally ready for the mountains. I sure do miss the big oak in the back yard and even Nancy mentioned the difference since she insisted it get gone, oh well.

I started the day with my usual 5'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. I added brother in law Mike to the list as he is having some heart issues and of course several others who are still battling life threatening issues. I headed out on my bike to the Rec for an hour and half of pickle ball play with mainly B players but I did work up a sweat and got some exercise. Today will probably be my last morning of play with mainly A players as they usually only play on Tue. and Thur. as many have left the area and of course I'll be gone next week as well.

My ear issues have cleared up since seeing the EN&T physician on Tuesday and I'm using fungus drops in the ear plus I'm hearing much better, seems old age issues are some what present with now using eye drops at night for glaucoma, yikes I'm starting to fall apart, oh well. Pickle ball is still in the forecast but that will soon go away for the next 5 months, unless I can find a partner in Sparta to play with weekly, oh well. I will have plenty of outside work at the cabin starting next Wednesday and for the next 8 to 9 days as we get it ready before Bobby and family to arrive around the 6th of June. That should be a fun time as the now 5 year olds are full of it and talk constantly about coming to the cabin.

After supper we walked up to neighbor Dan and Carol's to play hand, knee and foot with two other players and one of them another Dan played with the girls team and they beat us guys 2 games in row, oh well, we are on a losing role after winning consistently for weeks. It was going on 9 before we got home and it was shower time for me and some hockey on the bedroom T.V. before lights out at 10 for me, LATER

Wednesday morning May 21st...6 days to go

Well the day started out with my usual 5'ish rollout to the knowledge that a trip to Tampa during the rush hour was going to be a road clogged affair and while we took the toll road it was packed with commuters going some where, yikes. I do not believe the amount of folks who came here to stay as attested to by the many difference license plates on vehicles from out of state, oh well.

We made it to Gabe's graduation with some time to spare and the ceremony was well attended by parents and grand parents. Its a big deal for this school as the highest grade is the 8th and now all of these will be forced out to finish their education else where as its been a close knit bunch for most all of them. It also was an awards ceremony for the 6th, 7th and 8th grades. We were finished before noon and made it back to Seminole around 1:30 ish after a stop at Sam's club for fuel and some food items; gas was at 2:85 a gallon. I had a 2 PM appointment to see my PC doctor at the VA about this ear clogging which as been bothering me for a couple days.

My doctor right away sent me up to the EN&T department as she saw something that was other than ear wax causing the blocking affect. I was quite fortunate they were able to see me as a walk in with a referral and discovered that I had a fungus working in the ear. I'm wondering if I got that from swimming in some very warm pool waters a week ago at a party; anyhow they cleaned out the ear and prescribed some drops and then cleaned out the other ear from some wax which I seem to make abundantly. I sure felt better after leaving the clinic and hopefully now I will be checked every 6 months for any ear issues since I'm in the system.

We are starting to go through items that will be packed up and taken with us to the cabin and also getting rid of some items we don't want left in the fridge while we are gone. We will take a load of some small stuff to Amy's on Monday before packing the truck later in the evening. I grilled a couple chicken breast than Nancy had in marinate for our supper and then I headed outside to hand water what's left in the garden which isn't much. I'll harvest the Romaine lettuces that are holding on and some kale for salads. The collards I'll harvest Sunday morning and take to church for a couple folks there and then the garden will be finished for this year. I have just a couple small spots that I will rotor till on Monday.

That was about it for the day as I hit the shower and watched some NHL on the bedroom TV before lights out at 10 for me, LATER

Tuesday May 20th...7 days to departure

Well Monday was another blistering hot and muggy day with temps in the middle 90's and blazing sunshine, whats with this in May. I started the day much the usual with a 5'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name now including myself with a blocked ear. All are holding with this post and I was at the VA's for an ear cleaning which didn't take completely, so I'm back later in the week for more procedures. Its strange how as older I get I make so much ear wax and I did a no no, by trying to clean it out with a q-tip which only pushed it further into the ear canal, oh well I'll eventually learn to use only the solution and a syringe.

I did ride out to the Rec around 7:30 on by bike and got in a good hour plus of pickle ball play with a couple decent players for close to an hour, but later mainly B players arrived which slowed down the play so I headed home to work in the gardens before it got too hot. I took out the electric rotor tiller which has been an great investment for turning the garden which I use to do by hand with a shovel that took for days. Now I can turn the whole garden(s) over in just a couple hours and I did that until Nancy yelled for me to stop because my shirt was dripping sweat while she hung a load of laundry on the clothesline and she was washed out by the heat. I'm in a little better shape than her but I was ready to give it a rest or at least get out of the sun now that the big ok is no longer there for shade.

After washing off with the hose I change out of my sweat soaked clothes and headed into the a/c which has run almost non stop in the afternoon. At least it does cool a little over night to where the morning aren't too bad, but come mid morning until late evening its now brutal with heat and humidity. Only 7 more days and we will feel the difference dramatically and I'm looking forward to all the work outside and being in much cooler temps. We spoke with Stevie our dear friend in the mountains and he was leaving to come back to Seminole due to an issue with his home a/c which was on the blink again. We were hoping to get together for a couple days when we arrived at the cabin, but both he and Sheri will be up around the 4th of July with family members for a couple of weeks.

Well after breakfast for supper, we wanted to clean out some frozen biscuits, sausage patties so we had basically what we usually get on the road at McDonald's which is a sausage biscuit with cheese and of course we added fresh ground horseradish to ours which is a must with sausage. After the cleanup I headed out to hand water what a few green plants were still alive which was the Thai basil plant and the 5 kale and 5 collards plants in the back yard gardens; but the side garden patch still has a couple volunteer tomato plants that are still some what green with a few 'maters and of course the carrots which are growing nicely. I'll take out the patch later this week and take the green 'maters with us to the cabin next week and then harvest the carrots and then rotor till this patch.

After supper I next hand watered all of the front planter shrub and plants before finishing up in the back yard with the new sod which has just about covered the bare spot where the big oak once stood. I headed in and to the shower and then some MLB before lights out at 10 for me. No pickle ball today as we have to be in Tampa for grand son Gabe's 8th grade graduation ceremony and then its back home after a stop at Sam's Club for birthday dinner items for when we celebrate daughter Amy's 42nd big day on Thursday evening with a family get together. I don't think Bobby and family will make it as they are so busy and out of town on business, oh well. I got down all of the items from the attic that is needed for packing up the kitchen stuff as well as the suitcases so that ordeal starts almost daily now until I load the truck on Monday evening, LATER

Monday Morning May 19th..Happy Birthday to my daughter, Amy, 42 today..8 days to departure

Well Sunday was another hot day but a great day of worship both on line and here locally where Nancy and I greeted folks coming in the big front doors. We so enjoy all the hugs, handshakes and smiles as we greet all those leaving in the first service and all those coming in to the second service. We have one more Sunday in this position and hopefully we can do the same after getting back to our mountain church family as well in a couple of weeks. We so love the folks in both places and have been blessed to be welcomed by all. 

I had started the day much the usual with a 5 'ish roll out to my routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, 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 did venture out to hand water the gardens and harvest a mess of kale for one of the widow ladies in the church which we took with us. A couple other ladies saw this produce and wondered where it came from so now I have two orders for next Sunday which which clean out the produce from the garden this summer. I'm thrilled that i can bless some one with it instead of having to compose it back into the ground.

After church we met at a new eatery near the church at a Greek place and the food was delicious and plentiful but the best is from a couple weeks ago at the PHO Spot in the Largo mall, anyhow the lunch held me the rest of the day as I vegetated reading and watching some NHL hockey later in the evening. This coming week with be a busy one as we start packing as well as graduating ceremonies in Brandon on Tuesday for grand son Gabe and the again Thursday for Ava Mae and a graduation party next Sunday and of course getting the yards and gardens their final clean ups before loading the truck on Monday evening for an early morning start on Tuesday. I'm sure we will encounter lots more traffic as we leave the day after the Memorial day celebration, oh well, LATER

I was surprised that I was able to once again include of pictures on the blog but now that Nancy has an I phone its working again.

Sunday Morning May 18th ..9 days to departure

 Well Saturday was a busy fun filled day that started much like every morning with a 5'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, 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 to the Rec on my bike for a good hour or so of pickle ball play and left whupped with a wet head and shirt which is always a good sign of the work out. I'll sure miss the work out after next week and all of those players which have continued to leave until fall and I have really become friends with. I'm trying to keep in contact with a couple through my blog I write daily, but Google seems to have made it difficult for it to be read for some unknown reason.

I came back and hand watered whats left in the garden which isn't much due to the heat and of course some of the plants have been in the ground since last October when we came back from the mountains and I planted my garden. I'm excited about starting it again in a week or so once I get the beds ready at the cabin. Steve my friend who has a summer place below us is up there now and took some pictures of the grasses that are knee high as well as the weeds in the beds, but there are some flowering plants showing off their beauty in some of the beds. That is always a big chore with getting them ready to plant but since I learned to cover all of the beds with pine needles in the fall that has cut down on a lot of the weeds and grasses.

Neighbor Dan and Carol our friends for 45 years picked us up around 11 and we headed north into Pasco county to visit old church friends at their new residence for a delicious pasta lunch and then card games called, hand, knee and foot. It is a hoot of a game and its gals vs guys and today was their lucky day and they whupped us in two close games. The game have 4 parts and it usually takes a couple hours to play and we did play for close to 5 hours after lunch. Carol brought a Caesar salad and Nancy brought my favorite, a banana cream pudding which we devoured about mid afternoon. It was after 5 before we called it a day and headed home which took a good hour and half. We came back the scenic route along the west coast of Pinellas county, one that brought back memories of days past for both them and us. It was nearly 7 before we walked down to the house from their driveway and settled in for the evening.

We did clean up some salad for our late supper and then spoke with a couple who now live permanently in the mountains and are our neighbors there. Seems the bears are out once again, eating up the bird feeders as they are caught on field cameras. I suppose I'll have to carry a pistol with me when working out doors as they can become aggressive this time of the year, oh well. I soon hit the shower around 10'ish and then some horizontal lab shortly thereafter. Today is corporate worship day at our local church as well as on line with Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va. before heading to S.R.B.C. where we will be greeting folks attending the second service at 10:30, LATER

Well for some reason I was able to include some pics; the top one is of my son's family and the last one is of my daughters family

Saturday Morning may 17th...10 days to departure

Well Friday started out much the usual, now that we are back in Seminole from Brandon where everything was quite different for a couple of days as we watched our grands, took them to school, prepared meals for them and played in the pool. It was a fun time, but now we need to get down to business, packing for the next 5 months and putting this house and yards in order for when we leave on the 27th. It was another hot and muggy day, but the morning was quite nice as I rode my bike to the Rec for a good workout on the pickle ball courts and left whupped with a wet head and shirt. I made a stop at the library for a couple new reads as well before pedaling home. A couple more nice folks and good players leave this weekend for the next several months as do we. Starting next Monday my friend and his wife who are from Kentucky who we start play around 7:30 each morning will be gone, so I'll not be coming to the Rec so early unless I can find an early morning player, oh well.

I came home around 9'ish and worked in the yards and gardens, ripping out old veggie plants and actually starting to rotor till some areas as well as trimming hedges until it got to hot to work outside, so it was read time on the internet on the going on in the world, both here at home and in Israel as they continue to destroy the barbarians in Gaza. Now we need our great potus Trump to get rid of the cruel radical regime in Iran and their attempt to make a nuclear bomb. I love his deal making and hope they will come to the table and get rid of their facilities for making a bomb, but they are such deceivers and liars and have no love of life in their hatred for Israel and US(A). It all goes back to Biblical times on why there is so much animosity between the muslims and jews and even us Americans, oh well.

Trump has America once again on firm footing unlike the last inept so called potus and while he is a deal maker he is not one to give in as we have seen how he bombed Yemen and that radical bunch of terrorists as well as ISIS in his first term. These radicals only appreciate and respect might and he is one to use it when push comes to shove. I would hate to think what a nuclear war would be like for the world but these muslim radicals in this Iranian regime are so full of hate, they would would use the bomb on the world as they have killed their own people. Anyhow, thankfully we have a potus who now has America's back and he is exposing all of the corruption in our own country.

 Its unbelievable there are still folks who support this democrat party after all of their platform and polices are being exposed. I once was a Kennedy democrat as was my family back in the days, but the dem's then are the republicans now and the dem's today are the party of evil at best with their cultural changes and current corrupt leaders who are radicals. I have family and close friends who are so full of their hatred for Trump is almost criminal and so unAmerican at best. I always thought Obama was a fake and fraud and that is now proving to be true with his corrupt DOJ and FBI, as well as many other things he did to promote the terrorists in the Middle East, but he was still the potus and we put up with him for 8 years. America gave him a pass that was promoted by the extreme liberal MSM which is also vile and evil, but to the extremes this bunch of Leftest goes today in their contempt for Trump and his DOGE policy and border control is very puzzling, oh well. Every patriot should be aware of how radical and America hating this party has become.

After supper we had neighbors Dan and Carol up for yes, two games of hand knee and foot which usually takes 2-3 hour per game to play, the guys won both games. We started around 5:30 and ended just before 10. This game is so much fun and it does take some skill but it mostly how the cards are drawn and played as a team. The gals usual win but the last couple of matches the men have prevailed. They get a little snippy when they lose and of course we rub it in and gloat all in fun. Today we will head up north for about an hour's drive to visit some old friends for lunch and then play the game there as well. I'll do an hour or more on the pickle ball courts until 9'ish and then we will ride with Dan and Carol. It should be a fun afternoon of some fine eatin' and games, LATER

Friday Morning May 16th..11 days to departure

Well Thursday found me once again waking up at my son's house in Brandon as we will leave there after dropping off our twin grandsons at their school and head back to Seminole. I had started the day with my usual routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding with this post.

We fed the boys and got them dressed and I drove them to school and dropped them off and came back and we loaded up the truck after putting the house in order. It was close to 10 AM before we got home and I hand watered the garden or what is left of it. The romaine lettuces that came up volunteer are still growing but the cucumbers and tomato's except one volunteer tomato plant are now all dead or dying. I sill have lots of kale, collards and carrots and some herbs. The Thai basil had come back to life and is now showing lots of leaves and seed pods and of course the Rosemary is nearly a small tree and seems to love the heat and dryness, but everything else except for the marigolds which have really exploded with blooms and color and now need to be harvested for their seeds for next years planting. I wish I could put pics of them on this blog but for some reason I'm not able to do that, plus a friend of mine is trying to read the blog and now its almost unaccessible, whats with that.

It was once again the low 90's and tons of humidity so I didn't do much after lunch except read and catch up on the world news. I finished a true story written by the prosecutor of O.J. , Marcia Clark about a woman who was wrongly executed in the 50's for a murder she did not commit but was used by some career criminals to get a widow woman to open the door to her house on the pretense she needed to use her phone after breaking down in her car. Those two with her were the ones who brutally beat and killed the widow and then set her up to take the fall or go down with the two accomplishes. All three were executed in the gas chamber but the trial was not one where the prosecutor and sheriff investigators did a good job and she should have not died like the other two, anyhow the book is titled TRIAL BY AMBUSH.

Since I was an LEO for 30 years I cringed at the shoddy job and the set up by those who had the power and where with all to railroad her into her death. She wasn't without innocence but her part was strictly as a way to get inside the house where supposedly lots of cash was hidden. It was a robbery but turned into a brutal murder, anyhow Marcia Clark did a great job in investigating this crime and bringing all the fact to life as well as the great job she did in the O.J. trial. I thought she was terrific but the news media once again as they did in this trial persuaded the public that this woman was totally a monster, but in the O.J. gave him a pass, oh well.

After a supper of left over pork roast, rice  with gravy and Brussel sprouts I headed out to work in the yards and gardens. I mowed all of the yards then planted a perennial flowering plant that Nancy got for mother's day in the back yard, by then I was drenched in sweat so I headed in for a shower and watched the Carolina hockey team wipe out the D.C. team from the playoffs, LATER

Thursday Morning May 15 in Brandon..12 days to departure

Well waking up in a different house sure changes your routines especially when you have 5 year old twin boys and now two older grands as well. I started the day with my usual routines which quickly changed when the boys awakened and had to be fed and then transported to their school in unbelievable traffic, at least picking them up from school was much easier as the traffic wasn't nearly as congested. I did manage my quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus and give thanks for another day and this opportunity to help out son Bobby and Katie for their small get away together with out kids.

Taking the boys to school gave us the rest of the morning an afternoon to relax and enjoy the outside pool area where I sat for a couple hours reading and then I picked up Gabe at his school around 2:30 and then again the boys at 4:30. It was pool time with the twins but Gabe was studying for exams as his school is about over with the week. Annsley came home from her job at the YMCA where she teaches gymnastics round 8'ish and had a late supper which we had a plate for her. 

Nancy made a delicious meatloaf and brought with us along with a salad as well as some leftover turkey breast for sandwiches. Bobby had a frozen mac and cheese and some peas and we ate well, especially with the home made chocolate chip cookies Nancy baked a couple times during the day, so they were always fresh. After supper the boys and I watched this goofy funny cartoons on the lap top which they love called Gazoom. We all laughed at the antics of the snake which ends up almost like the coyote in roadrunner but this settings is like in Africa with giraffes, ostriches, elephant and this bird. Its so funny and the boys love it as do I.

After we put them to bed at 8:30 I tuned into the hockey game and the Florida Panthers spanked the Maple Leafs at home in Toronto with a shut out but the Rays were losing in the same town when I hit the shower. We come back to Bobby's after dropping the boys off at school and pack up our stuff and straighten up the house before coming back to Seminole later this morning, LATER

Wednesday Morning May 14th from Brandon..13 days to departure

 Well Tuesday started out much the usual with a 5'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and then to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post. I soon headed out to the Rec on my bike for a great workout on the pickle ball courts with all good players and made a stop at the library  on the way home for a couple new reads for while I'm here in Brandon waiting on picking up the twins from school after dropping them off in the mornings for the next couple of days.

We worked around the house packing for these two night stay overs and getting the house in order before leaving around 2:30 for Brandon. The traffic on the interstates is unbelievable even before rush hour as it was stop and go thru the Tampa area, but we made it safely which was the main thing and got here in plenty of time to pick the boys up around 4:30.

We got back to Bobby's and it was play time in and out of their nice pool and the boys had me pitching from the pool to where they could hit a sponge ball and they wore my arm out until supper time which was a favorite of everyone's. Pizza and salad and of course Nancy had made up a chocolate chip cookie batter which she of course baked a dozen or so for dessert. The boys drew and colored until it was bedtime and then Nancy read them a story after prayers were said. They are such sweet boys and love hugs. They were down around 8:30 and it wasn't long until I was down as well but sleep didn't come for a while due to a strange bed, but I rested no less. Today we will take them to school in the mornings and have the rest of the day to relax by the pool, read and whatever until we pick up Gabe at 2:30 from his school and we will feed him and the boys along with Annsley who will spent the night and then drive Gabe to school on Thursday morning and then we will take the boys to school and come back to pack before heading to Seminole, LATER

Tuesday Morning May 13th ...14 days to departure

 Well Monday saw us with rain during the night and morning hours, so much so I had to drive to the Rec for my morning workout on the pickle ball courts. It was a great work out with some good play with different partners through out the morning play. I had started the day with my 5'ish rollout to my usual routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, 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 drove Nancy to her chiropractor appointment down in St.Pete and sat in the truck reading while she was manipulated and then we stopped at Sam's Club to fill up at 2.76 which was down another 20 cents a gallon from my last fill up, so just maybe Trump's policies are working. It seems as if this man never stops working and today was just another example of how a real America loving POTUS is putting our nation in the right frame of mind, not only here but in the world as well. How anyone on the Left thinks he is a dictator is beyond my imagination. The dem's are so use to having a do nothing leader that only steals our treasury for the illegals and wants to make men into women and vice versa as well as scream everyone is a racist if they disagree with the. I have family and close friends who are so blind to what this party has done to destroy our culture and nation and so full of the TDS its unbelievable. All I can do is pray for them and they lose their hatred for a man GOD has protected to lead America much like GOD did with Moses.

I read the afternoon away and even cat napped a couple of times up to supper time which was leftovers from the delicious dinner the evening before and with the family. After the cleanup I settled into some Fox News until the NHL game between the Carolina team and the D.C. team. Well it was a close game until the third period when the Canes finally went ahead and won big 5-2. I'm rooting for them since our Bolts got knocked out by the Panthers in the first round which was heart breaking. I soon was out for the night at 10 PM.

Today we travel to Brandon in the afternoon for a two night stay with the twins at Bobby's place as he and Katie head to Sarasota for business. We will be in charge of them until Thursday morning when we drop them off at school around 8'ish and come back home and then the real packing gets started for the trip to N.C. in less than 2 weeks, LATER

Monday Morning May 12th ...15 days to departure

 Well Mother's Day turned out to be a success with the whole family, minus Annsley and Gabe here for a delicious family supper and a game afterwards. We even got some much needed rain during the morning and late evening hours which even dropped the temps down into the 70's for a change.

I started the day with my usual 5'ish roll out to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post. It was worship morning so I tuned into the Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va. to watch them at 8:15 and then around 9:45 we headed over to our local church at S.R.B.C. to work the side door as greeters. We have really gotten to know and made so many friends with so many folks with this greeting privilege at church and already folks are lamenting our leave for 5 months. The service was very nice and the church was packed as well and we gave out periwinkles to all of the mothers as they left the building. I blessed another lady with a sack of collard greens.

Well once we got home it was get the house and kitchen ready for the family to arrive around 4"ish. Nancy was busy in the kitchen with food prep and I put the leaf in the dining room table and vacuumed as well as a few other honey do's. The food was delicious and plenty as Nancy roasted a turkey breast and a pork roast and Bobby brought smashed tatters and Amy green beans and a salad and then Nancy made a huge black raspberry cobbler with frozen berries from our patch at the cabin. The dinner was great tasting the the warm cobbler with ice cream was awesome as well. 

After eating we brought out the LOGO game and played boys vs girls and the guys won again, but barely. It was a close game to say the least after we took a huge lead and the girls were complaining, oh well it was all in fun and everyone left before dark. The black rain clouds were evident and we did get another much needed down pour later in the evening, LATER

Sunday Morning May 11th..16 days to departure

 Well Saturday was a totally fun day that started with my usual 5'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding except we did hear that Dianne is home, but hasn't healed completely from all of her ailments which are life threatening at worst. I headed out on my bike to the Rec for a great workout for an hour or so with good pickle ball players and left whupped with a wet head and shirt. I came back and hand watered the gardens and back yard grasses and it starting to close the bare area which once held the big oak tree.

We got ready to head up to huge 70th birthday party about and hour north of us for Kathryn's 70th at their daughter beautiful gated community's club house which had a beautiful family pool. The ride took us an hour or so and we got there as Mission Barbecue was catering a beautiful luncheon of smoked brisket, pulled pork, ribs and smoked turkey breast plus mac and cheese, green beans, baked beans, Cole slaw and salad, what a feast. After the  delicious eatin' a very good cake was served later. The party was from noon to 4 at the club house but we left some where around 3'ish as the skies finally darkened and brought forth some much needed rain for that area, but none fell in Seminole, oh well. There were probably all totaled around 50 or so folks in attendance and we met the grand parents of one of Ava's classmates who is graduating with her, what a small world. Jo and Jim the grand parents once attended church with Kathryn and Patrick.

I did get in the pool with the younger kids and had a grand time swimming and playing with them for close to an hour. I'll get in two days of swimming this coming week as we stay over night at Bobby's place watching the twins and Annsley and Gabe while Bobby and Katie are off on a couple days to the Sarasota area with business and pleasure. We will pick up the boys on Tuesday evening from school and feed them as well as pick up Gabe from his school and then spend the night and take the boys to school on Wednesday and Thursday mornings after spending the days and nights with them. We will then come back Thursday morning after dropping the boys off at school and start getting ready ourselves for leaving for the next 5 months, oh well.

We ate a light super of just a sandwich before I retired to the bedroom for some NHL as the N.C. Canes whupped the Cap's from D.C. 4-0. Today Sunday is corporate worship day and we will be greeters once again which we will miss doing when we leave on the 27th, Oh well, LATER

Saturday Morning May 10th...17 days to departure

 Well Friday was another now typical hot humid day in central Florida, yikes am I ever ready for some cooler temps and dry air. Its like walking out into a sauna in the afternoon. I started the day with my usual 5'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift several up for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post. I headed out to the Rec on my bike for a good workout on the pickle ball courts winning most all of my matches with different partners. The play was good and constant and I left with a wet head and shirt.

I piddled around outside in the back yards and gardens hand watering and getting the gardens ready for rotor tilling next week. I did harvest a couple tomato's and cucumbers but the heat as just about done them in for this season. I hand watered the front planter and then sprayed some weed killer around the perimeter of the place as I get it ready for the grands to take over mowing when we leave in now 17 days. The weather in the mountains have been extremely nice with lots of rain and I'm sure the grass is hip high there. Our dear friends there will mow before we get there at least once which will help in getting around the yards for the first couple of days until I can get the riding mower working and the gardens tilled. I love the physical work and just being outside and there is always something to do there. No more flat land either for the next 5 months, oh well.

Nancy was off to the doctor's once again as she is having some issues and a new med was prescribed. Hopefully that will help with her ailments. I spent the hottest part of the day on the internet and in a book as it was just too hot to be outside for long, plus when you came in you are soaked with sweat. We ate supper around 5'ish then got ready to walk up to Dan and Carol's for some hand, knee and foot. Well the guys beat the gals 2 games in a row and it was going on 10 when we headed home. I hopped in the shower and then a little Hulu TV before lights out, LATER

Friday Morning May 9th ..18 days and counting

Well Thursday was a busy day that started early in the morning with a 5'ish rollout to my routines that always begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus after posting this ramble and to 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 to the Rec on my bike for a great workout with all good players on the pickle ball courts winning all but my last match. I was whupped and sweaty and then made a stop at the library for a new read. I'm still waiting on a book I ordered weeks ago as it seems to be a vey popular read. I hope it comes in before we have to leave for the cabin but we have a great library system there as well.

I came back and worked outside until it got just to hot and muggy hand watering the yard and gardens and the trimming some of the vines on the side yard fence and then again after supper after it had cooled down doing a little edging of the borders on the garden itself as well as mowing the back yard since its actually is green and growing from all the hand watering. The front yard is crispy since we've had no rain and I'm not going to start watering it until we actually get some rain. I know that sounds weird but the water which just run off, its that dry.

I read and cat napped a couple times during the afternoon until supper time. Nancy was off doing her shopping thing but I did manage to sync the new i phone on the truck system after getting rid of the android phone. The new TV system is working for her as well and she getting use to which has alleviated a lot of stress on me because at first she was against this streaming device and it wasn't pleasant to say the least. I was trying to get her to try it because we have to do it at the cabin since the area no longer provides TV service. I will save a little a cash as well and of course she made that an issue as to my changing services. Thankfully Tyler stepped in and convince her this was the way to go and she accepted his word, not mine, Oh well.

I came in from working in the yards and gardens and was soaked with sweat even at 7:30 in the evening, yikes has humidity come forth with vengeance. I hit the shower and was soon watching some Hulu shows about Life Below Zero which looked cold to say the least until 10'ish when it was lights out for me. I need an early start because Nancy starts her heavy snoring usually around 3'ish or thats when I wake up to it, oh well, LATER

Thursday Morning May 8th..19 days to departure

 Well Wednesday was another hot day with temps into the 90's with no rain and the grasses in the front yard are dried up but the front planter is doing well with lots of daily blooms on the hibiscus shrubs as I'm watering it at least twice a week. The garden is just about gone with the exception of the cucumber, collards and kale and of course the marigolds are in their splendor. I'll soon be turning over the ground for the summer as the weeds continue to grow in them.

I started the day with my usual 5'ish rollout to my routines of some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus after posting this ramble to lift up several by name for comfort and healing and to give thanks for another day. All on my list are holding with this post. I headed out on my bike to the Rec for a good workout on the pickle ball courts and left whupped with a wet head and shirt after close to two hours. The ride home on the bike only added to the wet shirt as the heat was back after a pleasant morning start. The morning and evenings are quite pleasant but it brutally hot during the mid day and afternoon so I stayed inside until it was time for my last doctor's appointment before leaving for the cabin in about 19 days.

I spent the afternoon finishing up a read and then some internet time before we had a supper of leftover soup for me and Nancy did a baked sweet tater and some beets. It was our 242 meeting at church at 6:30 so she eats lite due to her bathroom issues depending on what she eats, but as for me I eat any and everything and I'm blessed to not be concern with that issue. The worship music was awesome and the message on the Psalms was very enlightening and then we met in a small group for about 15 minutes. We got to know our leaders a little better as we met in the parking lot on the way out and chatted a few. Their daughter and our grand daughter will be at the same college next year and they already know each other so that is a blessing for their friendship away from home. We will be concerned for Ava as she is such a sweet and innocent young girl and knowing this friend will add some relief knowing who her friends are.

Well we got back around 8:30 so I hit the shower and then so Nat Geo on the Roku until lights out at 10, LATER

Wednesday Morning May 7th..20 days to go

Well Tuesday was quite the day as I started the morning with my usual 5'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times after posting this ramble to honor my lord, Jesus, 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 didn't play any pickle ball today as I had a 9'ish VA appointment and then another one at 11AM. The first was for my eyes and the news wasn't great as the pressure in my eyes is going up, so the Dr. prescribed some eye drops for me to take daily before going to bed and then the PC Dr. noticed my BP was elevated so she prescribed some pressure meds to help with that as it goes up and down, anyhow she did mention that everything else looked good especially since I'm nearing 79 year young and being so active. I'm blessed in that department but I'm starting realize that with age comes some issues and maybe its from the stress of getting ready to leave for the cabin, oh well.

I got back to the house around noon and we had lunch and then around 2'ish we headed down to Spectrum to return the cable box and shut off this high priced cable TV that was causing me to spend close tons of bucks a month; it actually is 267 and some change, so we went to streaming with a Roku and now using Hulu for the channels which Nancy must have to survive and while we were there we or she decided she wanted to get an iphone, which they had a years free service and of course her android was now 3 years old, so it took nearly 3 hours to make this purchase and to down load all of her stuff onto the new phone.

We got back around 5'ish and had some supper and then we tried to synch the new phone to the truck and for some reason it would not join, so I'll have to call my sales gal at the Ford place and see what needs to be done, oh well its always something and the You Tube video was clear on how to do it, but it wouldn't take. Nancy had made a huge pot of pasta foucile soup for supper, so Amy came by for some to take home for Eliza who just loves it. I was worn out from all the stress with the issues of the TV, iphone and now the truck with Nancy that it was shower time and then some bedroom TV before lights out at 10, LATER  

Tuesday Morning May 6th..count down is 21 days to departure

 Well Monday was another hot day with temps into the 90's but the morning started out rather pleasant as I rode my bike to the Rec for an hour and half of pickle ball play and left with a wet head and shirt. I then hit the shower as I had two doctors appointments later in the morning and afternoon; one with the chiropractor and then with the dermatologist and today its to see my PC doctor at the VA and then my eye doctor there also. Tomorrow its my PC doctor in civilian life, oh well at least I'll be checked up on for the next 6 months or so while we are in the mountains of N.C.

I started the day much the usual with a 5'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding with this post. It was a good workout going to and from the Rec on my bike as well as the exercise on the court and I played quite well with different partners.

I'll miss todays play because of morning appointments but hope to be back on the court the rest of this week. I'm sure gonna miss play once we leave here for the cabin but hopefully when the grand sons come this summer, as they want to learn the game and I love instructing the game and the play. The town of Sparta built two new courts and they are quite nice, so we will be able to play there. My old church friends who use to play at the country club have since moved on from church and I don't have the privilege to play there any longer, oh well.

I spent the afternoon and evening reading until supper time which was taco's and then afterwards I headed out to hand water the gardens, new sod and the front planter. The sun was bright but at least the air had cooled down to where it was pleasant once again, much like the morning temps.

Well Nancy is adapting to the new way we get TV with a Roku device and Hulu channels. All of her shows she watches are now available and couple she use to watch that Spectrum had taken away for some reason. I'm sure glad she is satisfied as there were moments when much contention presented itself because we had to change the way we received TV, because there was no TV available at the cabin unless you used a streaming device. Tyler came by Sunday evening and helped set it up as I'm rather challenged and really could care less about TV because I'm a reader, but she is a night owl and watches all those fixer up shows which she thrives on, oh well.

Not much else to report as I'm into a James Patterson book for now and have one on order from the library which is taking weeks to get for some reason. I hope it get here in the next few days as I'll be busy before we leave in 21 days, LATER

Monday Morning May 5th

Well Sunday started out much the usual with a 5'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks with another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post. I headed out to harvest some kale and collard greens for a church friend and took them with us to church. She was so excited to receive them as well. They are still growing despite the heat and really not much rain although we had a shower over night that gave the yards some relief.

We watched our online service at Cornerstone Chapel before heading out to our local S.R.B.C. where we worked the front doors, greeting folks with hugs, handshakes and smiles. We love welcoming folks in this fashion and we got lots of greetings back from many as well. We heard a great message from pastor Derek from the book of Galatians on "mixed signals" as he titled the message about Paul's response to Peter's message to the believers in Jerusalem.

After the service we met up with Dan and Carol at a new eatery for Nancy and I in the Largo Mall called Spot, its a Korean Pho eatery and the pho was delicious which I absolutely love. I'm the only one to have it as its a huge bowl of soup like food with tons of fresh veggies, rice noodles and broth. This is a meal in a bowl and so fresh and tasty. Nancy had some kind of chicken stir fry with rice which looked delicious as well and she brought some of it home so I'll have it for lunch another day.

We came back and vegetated with her on the TV and me reading and catching up on the worlds issues. Amy, Tyler with Eliza came by and he helped me set up the new streaming device on the TV since we are getting rid of the cable and that should help us with doing the same thing at the cabin, since we will have to have a streaming device there as well from now on. This new system will be a little less expensive and will have so many more shows as well and I'm hoping Nancy will adjust as we will be forced into it at the cabin, oh well. So far she has been O.K. with it, just this first night of using Hulu channels on the Roku device, oh well. Most of this is so new to me and thankfully Tyler is so willing and knowledgable to set it up. Now I'll have to do it in the mountains later this month and hopefully be successful.

I watched some of my TV in the bedroom until lights out at 10 for me. Today we have doctor's appointments both with the chiropractor and then I HAVE the skin doctor for me and tomorrow its two for me with the VA, LATER

Sunday Morning May 4th

 Well the count down is now 23 days to departure for the mountains and believe the change will be welcomed after the heat and humidity that has settled into the area. I started the day with my usual routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several. All seem to be holding with this post. I headed out to the Rec at 8 for close to two hours of pickle ball play with really good decent players and couple I hadn't ever seen before as they are week end only players. It was only my second time playing on Saturday morning's and it turned out to be great play.

I came back and had a lite breakfast of a slice of toast with avocado and some olive oil and a tomato which was delicious to say the least. I worked outside until noon hand watering the gardens and front planters as well as pulling some weeds and harvesting tomato's and cucumbers and some gardening up keep. Many of the plants are dying so its ripping them out and getting the soil ready for a rotor tilling. The new sod has really done quite well, sending out runners and now the bare spot from where the old big oak once stood is nearly covered. I sure miss the shade with these hot days, oh well.

After a lunch of some left over chicken salad I headed in to the computer room to catch up on the world news as well as Israel's war and the going on in the day to day happenings with this transparent gov't. It's so much better and different from the last corrupt bunch running the nation. At least this administration is exposing all of the crooked dealings and agencies which were harming us patriots and the nation and kneeling to the demands of the left to change our culture. It's unbelievable there are still some brain washed idiots that can not see just how corrupt and weak the Biden administration was in destroying US(A) from within, while trying to bankrupt the nation and make us a third world country and trying to import illegals for voting them into perpetual control of the country. Despicable to say the least.

We headed up to Dan and Carol's at 5 to have pizza and we brought a delicious salad much of which was home grown except the lettuce for our supper. We watched the derby then settled into hand, knee and foot until after 8 and the gals pulled it off in the last hand by just a few points. It was a fun game and evening and we were back down to the house before 9. I soon hit the shower and was watching some Roku TV until lights out at 10. Today is corporate worship day, both on line and then in person at our local church and then lunch out with Dan and Carol, LATER

Saturday Morning May 3rd

 Well its countdown to 24 days and we will be on the road to the cabin and those days are going by so fast now and I'm getting excited but I've got lots to do before we leave. I started the day on Friday with a before 5 wake up as we had to be at Eliza's concert at Keswick  School early, plus Nancy had a doctor appointment and then a dear friend was coming for lunch who she spent the next 5 hours visiting. After she left we invited Dan and Carol down for cards at 6 who stayed until 10. I didn't get much done in the gardens except harvest a few cucumbers and tomato's and watering by hand. I did my quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and then lifted up several by name for comfort and healing. Judy who came for the afternoon is undergoing chemo for some cancers and is in need of complete healing but it doesn't look great for her and the rest we are praying for seem to be holding with this post.

Eliza's band and choral concert was delightful to say the least. It was all about the 5th grade class and their accomplishments with musical instruments and singing in a group.She did a fine job in both areas. We left there around 10'ish and Nancy dropped me off while she headed out to her bone density scan so I hand watered the gardens and yards and then we got ready for Judy to visit. Nancy had made a huge bowl of chicken salad with lots of chips and fresh sliced cucumbers and tomato's. The lunch was delicious and it held us except for some chocolate chip cookies she made in the afternoon.

While the gals caught up I headed in to read until she got ready to leave a little before 5, so Nancy decided to give the Botbyl's a call to see what they were doing. They readily accepted our offer and came down and we played three games of hand, knee and foot which usually we only can get in one game, but Dan and I whipped the floor in the first game after one hand so they(gals) wanted to start over with a new game so we did. Well the second game started out like the first game and we won really big after the second phase so they wanted to start a new game which we did and completed it, but they barely managed to win in the final fourth phase, oh well it was a night for the guys in the start.

I soon hit the shower and was ready for some horizontal lab by 10:30, LATER

Friday Morning May 2nd

 Well Thursday was another rather warm day after a very nice start with moderate temps, but we sure need some rain as the grasses are drying up as well as is the gardens. I of course am still hand watering daily sometimes even twice a day but the front yard is dried up as I haven't been watering it, oh well. I started the day with my usual 5 ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All are holding with this post and Diane is now home from the hospital but still no where near healed according to her daughter and needs prayers for healing as well as salvation.

I headed out on my bike to the Rec for a good workout and some good play with mainly A players and left after nearly two hours of play with a wet head and shirt. I piddled around in the gardens, harvesting cucumbers and tomato's for neighbors as well as some collards for the trash men. I then settled into some internet time catching up on the world news as well as what's happening in Israel. Trump has the democrats in a tizzy which his America First policies because now they are supporting the illegals especially the violent criminals and now Chins because he is putting tariffs on them and they are in turmoil, because they are an exporting economy and we aren't buying their stuff and if we do they have to pay a tariff which is making their stuff more expensive. He wants US(A) to buy American and put our stuff first which benefits our country, I love it. MAGA is the reason after being ripped off by most all nations over trade.

Nancy was at her women's Bible class and it was their final one for the summer so they brought and shared food of which Nancy is a big contributor with a salad and a cake of which she has tons leftover, so I had some of both for lunch and then since she was in the kitchen preparing for that event and for our friend Judy visiting to day for lunch she decided a frozen pizza would suffice for supper, which was fine with me. I hand watered the gardens and new sod after supper. I skipped the mens class as it has become a forum for a couple talkers and no study and has become boring. I can get the same study from on line with Gary Hamrick at Cornerstone Chapel which is quite telling and interesting.

I read until it was time to hit the shower and get ready for some horizontal lab with lights out at 10. This morning we have to be at Keswick for Eliza's chapel event at 8:30 so no pickle ball this morning but I hope to be back on the court Saturday morning, LATER

Thursday Morning May 1st 2025 ... count down is 26 days to departure

 Well Wednesday started out like most days with a 5'ish rollout to my usual routines that start with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, 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 and got in a good two hour workout on the pickle ball courts and left with a wet head and shirt.

I came back and worked outside in the yards and gardens, cleaning out some dead plants and then using a shovel to edge around the front planters which will make it easier this summer for edging that area after we are gone and the grands take over keeping the yards and gardens manicured. With the count down we have lots to do in the coming 3 weeks or so with doctor's appointments, cleaning out closets and packing as well as getting things lined up with newspaper, mail and services connected for the cabin as well as disconnected here and lots of small things we do every year before leaving, plus some over night baby sitting in Brandon and folks to visit before leaving. I always love this last month as I know we will soon be in some much cooler temps and with that lots of outside work to get ready for family to arrive about a week after getting there, plus gardens both flower and veggie to sow and plant.

After lunch I was on the internet watching whats happening in Israel and then the cabinet meeting with Trump and all is heads which is quite informing as well as a press report from Karoline who is the presidents daily spoke person. America is back on the right track despite what the corrupt hate America democrats have done to destroy US(A) from within. I do believe they want the nation to fail so they can regain power but as far as I'm concerned I will never give any standing to any of these present democrats despite at one time being a Kennedy democrat as was my family. This party has been hijacked by the Left radicals who hate the nation and has become muslim lovers with their love for the barbarian in Gaza and the illegals. Despicable to say the least .

We had a salmon filet and some rice for our supper and then headed out to SRBC for our evening 242 meeting which lasted until 8'ish then headed home to a hot shower for me and then some ALONE time on the bedroom TV until lights out at 10, LATER