MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

Happy birthday to our pal Roddy Bannister ... a true Labor Day baby; er, years ago. LOL. He and Shay had bubbly in their pool today and another bottle on ice. 

It's a brand new month ... what do you have planned? We are waiting for our window installation then will paint the house. Basically, it'll be similar colors, but updated hues. 

Our guest room will be redone this fall ... paint, curtains and this new bedding!

Much work is needed ... we love a project. Haha. 

Mark spotted this adorable dog bed! Too bad our Scotties are too big for it. 

It's so cute!  

Speaking of dogs, I have had words with vets over the years about over-vaccinating our pets. The following article addresses this. 

We expected Randy to pop in today as he needed to borrow our lawn mower. (His new Honda quit already!) Maybe tomorrow. (The Hideaway had good music today, too.)

Sue visited with Gregg in Winnipeg today ... and this evening she and Wayne are meeting Aurelia and Tony for dinner. It's Auralia's birthday! Hope it's a fun time. 

Ta ta for now. 

 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2014

It's the last day of August and it's forecast to be a hot one. 

We bowled today; well, I tried to. There were a lot of new body parts attempting to get in sync.  I was a friggin' disaster. When we first arrived, I took two practice bowls and got two strikes. But, when the game began, I couldn't do anything right! Mark did quite well ... Lew and Lynn were obviously league bowlers (at one time), Ben caught on quickly ... Randy struggled with his bad hip but managed to bounce the ball out of the gutter and knock down the pins ... FIVE TIMES. LOL. He said Linda was helping him. There was some magic going on alright. It was fun ... but I'm never doing that sober again!

Oh yeah, this cartoon is on the money! :-(  We came home, took some Advil and napped. LOL. 

Sue and Wayne left the cottage at 4 o'clock for their journey home to Florida. It was raining and cold; a tough day to pack up!  They will have a chance to see Gregg and Darlene tomorrow. 

Sue took this pic of daisies, Linda's favorite, on the table at Inn of the Woods last week. 

K cottage after the big tree was removed last week ... a view. 

Randy planned to spend his Sunday at The Hideaway, his "club".  Haha. It's too hot for Mark and I to enjoy ... 86F today! We're cooking pizza at home. 

Hope your Sunday was lovely. Ta ta. 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 2014

Good morning! 

Another beautiful day begins in the Sunshine State. 

This is a beautiful place to call home!

Randy came for coffee about 9:15 ... (I heard the bike and scrambled to get dressed!). LOL. Today is one week since Linda crossed over and he was feeling extra sad. We will have a toast to her at 6:05 tonight, as Randy asked. He is going with friends to a Blake Shelton concert in Orlando tonight. Hope it's a good time for him!

This afternoon, Mark and I took Maggie and Robbie to Sonic for lunch. They are not cheap dates as Robbie likes grilled chicken, and Maggie likes fries with hers! LOL. Mark had a chicken sandwich, and I had a chili cheese dog. It was good fun. Maggie eats perfectly from a fork but Robbie nearly takes the fork with the food. Little devil. 

Today I researched quilters in our area. Randy wants to have a memorial quilt made with Linda's T-shirts ... from trips and special events. I joined a Facebook group called Eustis Word-of-mouth, and got three suggestions! There are some very informative things on Facebook, but you have to know where to look and who to ask.  

Niece Crystal posted this ... and I love it!

Here's a cute picture of Crystal and her daughter, Avery. They are both so tiny! 

Mark's niece, Christine celebrated her birthday in Sydney, Australia. 

My cousin, Patrick, celebrated his 20th birthday today. 

Tonight, Mark and I are having a roast beef for dinner. And at 6:05 we will toast to Linda! 

Ta ta for now. Hope you're enjoying this Labor Day long weekend. 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014

Good morning sunshine ...

Florida has the most interesting skies ... and birds; beautiful birds!

Mark and I were up "early" and off to Olivia's for a 9:30 breakfast. Randy had just arrived as we pulled up; great timing. 

Olivia's is an inviting "coffee shop" with a twist ... it feels half lounge, half bar and features singers in the evening hours. 

Breakfast was great ... three complete meals for $20.90.  Well worth it. LOL

 

Mark busted Randy on having a "dirty" bike. He must go straight home and wash it before meeting Dan at The Hideaway for lunch. LOL. 

Our Miss Maggie is feeling the effects of her first chemotherapy treatment. She's a little lethargic, and no tailwagging! We asked Uncle Randy to stop by this afternoon, as he is her favorite person! Hopefully, that will perk her up. Last night, Mark took her out at midnight before he went to bed and I got up at four in the morning to take her out. The prednisone is causing this change. She's drinking more water than usual. We hope it will be worth it and that Mags will have a remission and live for years. 

We have become Rosemary Farm supporters ... we love their creed. They have grown in 5 years from one person on a mission to a full-fledged sanctuary. Cool, huh? 

Happy Friday! One person can indeed make a difference ... with the help of friends and supporters. 

About 3:30 a big thunderstorm was approaching ... and one lone motorcycle rider. Maggie was happy to see Randy! He got kisses, tail wags, and a dog run. LOL. (That made our day!) We had a beer at the Sunroom bar and yakked. 

Randy headed home about 5 for a nap before his usual Friday night music at his fav place. Mark had enough "outside" today so we're staying home tonight, apparently. Actually, we want to stick around to keep a watch on Maggie. 

Hmmm, I hear snoring ...

Haha ... Notice the remote!!! That's Robbie having a snooze, too. 

Ta ta. Happy Labor Day weekend. 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Peanuts got it right ... 

Good day, eh! I was up at 2 a.m. and took Maggie outside for a pee. With prednisone, I thought she might be desperate. Mark got up at 6 and took both Scotties out ... but neither was interested and they poked about sniffing. 

We had a lazy morning puttering about the house, laundry, spraying a bleach mix to combat mildew on our roof, then a little shopping. 

It's another hot day here in Central Florida ... good thing we have a plethora of cool springs nearby.  

Ichetucknee Springs State Park, in fabulous Florida. 

The water ... crystal clear and 75 degrees! We're going to check out RVing at these springs. 

Randy's friend Greg left for home today. Apparently they had a pool game rematch and Randy won. He's certain Linda is "helping" him from beyond. LOL. 

Sue called to say she and Wayne are going to dinner at Heather & Bruce's tonight. Sue was cleaning inside and Wayne outside, preparing for their trip to Winnipeg to visit nephew Gregg. 

Randy was invited to dinner at his neighbor's home tonight. That's so wonderful. He puttered around the house today ... laundry, cutting grass and dusting. Tomorrow, we're going to breakfast with him. 

Our friend Jim was in the Winnipeg newspaper this week. 

That's a wonderful cause! Kudos, Jim. 

That's it for today. TV time. Ta ta. 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

It's a bright, beautiful morning in Central Florida. 

Maggie started her chemotherapy pill and prednisone this morning. Mark uncovered and wiped down the boat for today's cruise. And, that's how the day began. LOL

Greg and Randy joined us for our Lake Eustis, Haines Creek and Dead River ride. It was low humidity, 85F with a north breeze. 

Randy was smug after besting his pal, Greg, in a few rounds of pool. He enjoyed having him on the boat ride. This pic was taken in Haines Creek near the lock. 

Greg, chatting it up and enjoying a smoke. What a beautiful day!

Mark with his favorite "motorboat" coozie was attempting to fish and drive. There were a few scary minutes. 

We went to Palm Gardens on the Dead River for lunch! There was a nice breeze right down the river ... good food, too. 

We arrived home after 3, watched a few bits of "Shelby", had happy hour and started a game of ... you guessed it, Mexican Dominoes! We had lots of laughs ... Greg caught on quickly and liked the game!

About 7ish, we headed to our local Stavros for pizza, eggplant and spaghetti. It was wonderful to see Greg again and we know Randy appreciated his company! Future pizza making endeavors were discussed for this winter. LOL. 

It was a very good day. 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014

We knew it was going to be a hectic day! 

Mark went grocery shopping and fueled up the car ($2.99 gallon) while I tidied up, organized and listed our errands. 

The Leesburg Humane Society resale shop was recipient of half of Linda's clothes. Of course, when you donate items, you just naturally buy something! Three shirts and sunglasses for Mark ... a silk tree and Sudoku game ... The other half went to the Eustis Humane Society resale shop. (Oh yeah, we shopped there, too!)

Linda would be very happy with our choices. She and Randy visited the one-eyed donkey who calls the Umatilla shelter pasture a permanent home. She loved all animals. 

The next stop was to take her unused medications to Lake County Sheriff's Office. They have a secure safe for depositing ... but all blister packs had to be opened and dumped. It seemed a terrible waste, but that's what had to be done. 

We picked up Maggie's prescriptions at two different Walgreens; one was in Lady Lake, 45 minutes away from home. Mark spotted a Dunkin' Donuts and today's diet was ruined. LOL. Tomorrow morning we will start dosing Mags with the chemo meds. (Fingers crossed!)

Meanwhile, elsewhere with family, school  started ... 

Yesterday, I posted Kelly and Leigh's pic ... these two sweeties are their handsome sons Hudson and Landon ... 1st day back to school in lovely California. 

Cousin Alex with his girlfriend, Courtney ... messing around at 'his' bar in Scotland.   

Niece Crystal with her lovely dog Roxy, in Winnipeg. 

Meanwhile, at the cottage, Sue and Wayne had their lovely old White Pine tree taken down. Ants had invaded the weakened tree. 

It was an old tree, 60' tall. 

Such a shame to lose it. 

Randy's friend Greg is visiting from South Florida for two days. That's wonderful for him. We will let them have an evening and visit tomorrow. 

Nephew Gregg called to ask me to forward some pictures from Darlene's recent visit and to see how we were all doing. 

Diane phoned, too. Kris is doing very well with recovery from hip replacement surgery last Thursday. He's going to therapy three times a week. 

That's it for today! Mark is cooking fresh chicken for the Scotties and us tonight. We're going to chill out and watch TV tonight. LOL. 

MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014

Good MONDAY morning! Mark was up at 6:30 this morning and caught a naked native in the hall to our guestroom bath. LOL. (Randy spend Saturday and Sunday night with us.)

Sunday afternoon, our pals Lyn and Lew invited us all for a swim and dinner on the patio. It was wonderful. We needed to relax and enjoy some sunshine. 

There were several things to accomplish today. Randy needed help sorting Linda's clothes for donation. Since Linda loved animals and was a supporter of the humane society, we decided to donate saleable things to our two local shops. It's just a start ... 

Mark decided to work outside, lot clearing. Nice outfit. 

Meanwhile, Diane is "nursing" Kris after his successful hip replacement surgery last Thursday. He's doing great and is well into therapy. Before we know it, he will be line dancing at The Villages again. 

Our cousin Kelly celebrated her 40th birthday!

Kelly and husband Leigh, in California. You look fabulous! Cali sunshine agrees with you!

Mark dashed off to our local vet with Mags this morning. Her neck lymph nodes doubled in size this week! Chemo drugs have been ordered. Hope to start her treatment Wednesday. 

Randy brought out his stash of cheese curds ... yummy ... then chili for dinner. He plans to sleep in his own bed tonight. 

When we left Randy's, Mark looked up on the neighbors roof.

That is not an OSHA approved stool on the roof. LOL. You've got some explaining to do Jim. 

Tomorrow, Randy's friend Greg is coming to stay for a couple nights. What a good friend! Ta ta. Tomorrow will be busy!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

Good morning y'all. 

Last evening, my eldest sister, Linda passed away from Alzheimer's disease. It was a long, dreadful illness that robbed her identity and dignity. Her husband of 34 years was her longtime caregiver! It truly was the long goodbye. This following pictorial is from Linda's year 8 & 9 of the disease. With Randy's help, they made each day count.  

At home in Pompano Beach with Maggie. 

Aboard "Mrs R B" on Lake Eustis. 

On an RV trip ... Pass Christian, Mississippi. 

Touring in Arizona. 

San Franscisco

San Fran ... near Alcatraz. 

Kendall Jackson Winery in California. 

RVing with us. 

Lake Louise in Canada. 

Fairmont, Lake Louise

Banff

Shopping in Banff. 

Reunited with her son, Gregg. 

Granddaughter Avery. 

Lake of the Woods, Ontario, Canada. 

Maggie and Linda, boating. 

"Motor-boatin' on the pontoon".

Visiting on the Harley. 

Breakfast out ... Lake Eustis. 

Enjoying the Harley garage. 

Linda with Mark at Sue & Wayne's 40th in Pompano Beach. 

Dinner with us in February. 

Drinks in our Sunroom. 

Rest easy, Linda. We'll miss you everyday.