TUESDAY MARCH 31, 2015

Good morning! We're a little slow moving as we didn't get home til midnight. That's late for us! Randy and Dawn did a great job of putting a delicious meal on the table for eight of us. I think we ate around 9 o'clock! Never mind, a great time was had by all. 

First thing this morning, I packaged up a vase that sold on eBay and another small item, and Mark dashed off to the post office with them. This was the first time he was sorry to see an item go. It was a beautiful Murano vase he bought me in the 1990's that was no longer in the right color for our current decor. Oh well ... it's one less thing to dust. Ha!

Today, Mark is puttering around building a shelf in the boathouse to support the smoker. He took Robbie out with him, so that's a nice treat for Robs to be in the backyard. Watch out lizards!!!

I was on the phone with Sue, when I burst out laughing. Mark started his riding lawnmower and put it into gear. I thought he was coming off the back end of it!!!  It lurched forward and Mark's hair flew back. LOL. Just from my description, Sue was laughing too!

Our friend Bonnie Parker in Oklahoma has two new Scottish terrier puppies! Her dog Diana gave birth last night. 

I hope these two darlings get a happy home. 

This evening, Mark and I met Randy and Dawn and their company at Stavros for dinner. It was very busy and we had to wait nearly 40 minutes for a large table. As usual, the food was excellent. Everyone was a little quieter tonight, anticipating their long drive tomorrow! It was fun getting to know them all. 

How about 8 o'clock, Mark and I came home to relax and watch bowling on TV! The excitement never ends. Haha. 

I hope you had a great last day of March! Good night. 

MONDAY MARCH 30, 2015

Good morning. We were up early and off to the post office by 9 o'clock with five parcels! You might think the house would be getting empty by now, but you wouldn't notice anything different. LOL!!!  These are all items that have been packed away in drawers OR the toolshed ... unused and forgotten. 

Next adventure today is Walmart. Oh boy! What an adventure. Haha. Why do "people" visit in the damn aisles??? It's a big store ... go yak at the food court. Haha. 

This evening, Randy and Dawn hosted a FUN dinner. We had grouper, potato casserole, green beans, steak and razzle berry pie with ice cream. Dawn makes an excellent potato casserole!!! Just sayin'

Randy and Loren, sharing a laugh. These two are childhood friends! Nice!

Dawn wanted to make sure there were no double-ought numbers here. Hahaha. 

It would be hard to say how many laughs we had, because our stomachs were sore long before dessert, from laughing!!!

Loren, Laurie, Greg, Terry, Dawn & Randy ... movie stars, all. 

We had so much fun tonight, so many laughs, it was great!!!

SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

Brrr ... it's a "chilly" start to our Sunday morning. Hopefully it will warm up by 1 o'clock when we have plans to take Randy and Dawn and their guests on Mrs R B for a ride. 

Mark found this picture online and it reminded him of me, taking diet Sunkist orange across the border to Canada! 

Bwahahaha ... HEY!   I ONLY took 17 cases for the summer. Hee hee. 

About 1:30 we headed out for a boat ride. Everyone arrived in shorts and Tshirts for the ride. After passing around blankets and jackets we ventured out. There was a 9 mile an hour wind, just enough to kick up the lake. Halfway across, the filter on the water pump clogged up, and necessitated a cleaning! Mark fixed it, and we were on our way!!! What a Boy Scouty. ;-)

Laurie & Terry at the Sandbar ... 

Terry wanted to see an alligator so badly. We went down the Dora canal, and for the first time, did not see one!!! There was a lot of boat traffic today, as the antique boat show had just ended. We went to the Sandbar for drinks and snacks. The wings were terrific! 

We arrived home about 5 o'clock, and decided it was happy hour in the Sunroom. Robbie was very happy to see us. A "Partay" ensued ... lots of ghost stories and laughs!  Mark and I got invited to dinner tomorrow night at Randy's. Nice!

About 930, I got a message on eBay that "someone" was interested in a lockbox I had listed. This person was very cheeky and told me to take the lockbox off listing and they would get it! Of course, I wrote back, "Well make a bid on it!!!"  Next, I got a phone call, from Diane. She was the eBay bidder. Hahaha. 

So, that was our Sunday.  How was your day? Ta ta. 

 

SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

Good morning! It was cool(er) when Robbie and I went outside at 7:30. It should be comfortable for our neighborhood BBQ later on. 

Hahaha. 

My contribution to the BBQ is chocolate cupcakes ... which I just finished baking (and testing!) Thank you Betty Crocker! (Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate is STILL my favorite cake mix; but tough to find!)

Mark was busy puttering about all morning. There's never a shortage of projects if you're a motivated person, is there? He loves to improve things ... and is very good at it. 

Lake Eustis from Sandra & Jim's beautiful  garden. I don't know how they do it, but ALL their bromeliads were in full bloom! 

Telling and hearing stories ... lots of laughs with Penny & Randy. 

Carol, talking "vibrators" (really!) ... Lew & Jim (ex-Marines) yakking. Haha. 

This is a great group of fun people from all walks of life. We look forward to our parties. Next month is a boat luncheon to Hurricane's.  

It's now 5:30 and the party's over. The weather was perfect ... a slight breeze off the lake and 73F. Robbie was happy to see us come home. 

A happy snooze on mom's chair! LOL. Isn't he sweet!  We watched a "disaster" movie that reminded me of the 1970's Towering Inferno, Poisidon Adventure, etc. entertaining but overdone. LOL

Tomorrow, it's going to be, we hope, a boating afternoon. Ta ta. Hope your Saturday was just what you wanted. 

FRIDAY MARCH 27, 2015

Good day, eh? It's a bright, beautiful one here in Central Florida. We're expecting a cold front to come through, with a low of 48° on Saturday night. It sounds perfect for a bonfire! (Saturday afternoon, we have our annual pig roast on the lake.) I know, pig roast, yuck. But, there are many other dishes to enjoy! LOL. It seems the men are more drawn to this event. Anyway, it's going to be a daytime high of 70°F, so we will wear long pants I guess! 

Yesterday, I began cleaning and sorting out the curio cabinet. So, that job needs to be completed. I'm just not in the mood at the moment. LOL 

Ha ha ... not in the mood = selective participation. I like that!

Mark just left for the post office with two more eBay sale packages. He sold 3 elevator tools he no longer wants. Ka-Ching!

Les and Lynne arrived home yesterday afternoon to snow on the ground in Winnipeg. Apparently they had a very easy trip home, thank goodness. 

I read in Rick and Ruth's blog that they were held up at the Canadian border for 25 minutes in the rain and wind, for an inspection. (They were actually made to stand in the rain and wind.) Two "threatening" apples were found on board and confiscated. Oh how we hate crossing the border now a days. It's a crapshoot.  

Randy called about 6 o'clock to say they were going to the Hideaway tonight. Dawn is working until 8 o'clock but will join them later. Mark and I have a date with three movies tonight, ha ha, at home! We've had a busy enough day ... but we offered to go for a boat ride Sunday afternoon with Randy's Canadian friends through the Dora Canal and over to the Sandbar. The boat show will be wrapping up then and there should be lots of antique boats on the lakes. 

Well that's our day. My curio cabinets are finished, and we've been puttering around here all day! 

Its forecast to be cooler tonight ... 

Opposites attract, as he is proven in this picture of a snoozing bunny snuggled up with the red fox! WTF?

Ta ta. 

THURSDAY MARCH 26, 2015

Good morning! We heard from Les last night that (he and Lynne) were in South Dakota. They made good time and were far away from the devastating storms in the Midwest yesterday. Our friends in Tulsa are fine, but areas just outside of T-Town were flattened. 

Today, Mark emptied the hot tub (in the sunroom) and began "summerizing" (like winterizing) LOL. We certainly won't want to sit in 104F water when it's in the 90's!

I began my curio cabinet spring cleaning ... and making space for my Anysley China. The micro cloth I bought at the flea market is excellent. The glass and mirrors are sparkling ... and no chemical cleaners! Sweet. 

It's "Game Day" for me at friend Carin's  home. We played a dice game ... and I (eventually) won one of three. That's a rough crowd of women. LOL. Two wine glasses broken! (They're getting PLASTIC glasses at my house!)

Jim heads home Saturday. His "cottage" project starts April 8th ... and is going to be filmed by Timberkings! How cool is that!  I'll include some pics as the project goes along. 

That's all for today! Tomorrow, more bowling practice. Ta ta. 

WEDNESDAY MARCH 25, 2015

Good morning. Lynne bought us some potted tulips which were just in bud before they left yesterday. As you can see, they're starting to bloom. Nice!

Both yesterday and today were lovely cool days, so we put them outside to get a little more light. Obviously, it worked.  

Hmm, what are our plans for today? Mark will finish sorting and putting things on the new shelves in the laundry room, I have a package for the post office, and then, I think we'll go practice bowling! 

Robbie seemed to like the food that auntie Sue gave him to try. So I went on to Chewy.com and ordered a small bag of each.  I'll have four bags of dry dog food on the go, so the little rascal has quite a variety. Tonight, Mark is cooking chicken and cauliflower ... yes, for all three of us. Haha. (He's being spoiled like a "Kurian" dog!)

It was mani pedi day ... finally had to be done. LOL. I noticed the salon was undergoing a redo ... looking great! Next trip it should be completed and the rates up. LOL. 

Randy's guests arrive later today ... all golfers! He's going with them tomorrow! First golf game in years! Mark was invited but isn't interested in golf nowadays. (He's enjoying our air conditioned bowling for a sport.) Me? I'm an undecided golfer ... can't decide if I'm left or right handed. LOL. (It drove Mark a little crazy!) Ha. 

Our bowling was a good practice session. Mark tried a few different techniques ... then asked Willie to put some tape in the thumb hole on his ball. After I dropped my poor ball twice, I went for thumb hole tape too! LOL. I couldn't hit the darn headpin today! 

Hahaha. 

I had a nice email from Jim. He enjoyed dog sitting Desi's dog Jed. The little guy slept with Jim and was quite spoiled. Jed just didn't want to go home when Desi came to get him. Haha. (There are no dumb dogs!)

That's all the news for today! Ta ta. 

TUESDAY MARCH 24, 2015

Good morning y'all. Everyone conked out and slept well ... Les & Lynne were on the road by 7:30 ... half an hour earlier than planned.  We hope they'll have a smooth trip home to Canada. Minneapolis had snow yesterday, and there's rain coming, but otherwise the roads looks pretty good for them!

Mark began the laundry room shelving project while I washed sheets and cleaned bathrooms. What fun, eh! LOL. Next, I sewed a new king size sheet onto our existing "3 sheet" boat cover. (Yes, we are always "3 sheets to the wind"!)  Haha. It's an easy cover to keep dust, pollen and spider poop off the boat and still allow air to circulate. 

After Mark emptied the laundry room, we had several free standing shelves and a few other items for the Humane Society store. We dropped those off while on our way to the Home Depot. Our new shelving system was more than we expected. Already $200 .. all I "wanted" was a closet rod above the washer and dryer area. It will be great to have some extra storage in that room though!!! It's time to finish a few odds and ends of jobs around here. Here's our "before"!

Sue and Rose went to the driving range this morning. It was pretty warm so they were only there half an hour. Randy cleaned house readying for his golf buddies to arrive from Canada. (I suggested Robbie would like to visit now that the floors were sparkling clean!) LOL. 

Mark finished the laundry room shelving project! Yay. :-) 

Of course there's more crap to be put on the shelves, but, you get the idea.  

Tulasendlesssummer.com has information on Florida's gorgeous natural springs. (I posted one pic yesterday!) It would be nice to visit some this summer. 

So, that's it.  I hope your day was fantabulous. Ha. 

MONDAY MARCH 23, 2015

Good morning! I'm up early to prepare for a busy day. We weren't home until almost 11 last evening, so it was too late for hair washing and such. 

Lynne and I were off shopping by 9:30 ... with a stop for fuel first. That was the first kerfuffle. Haha. I'm not a fan of our local Citco ... years ago, it was a nice clean station with a Subway sandwich shop inside. Well, the new owner mismanaged and the station became grubby. Okay. So back to my tale. I pulled into pump #1 ... swiped my credit card and began fueling. The pump stopped at $7. WTF??? There was a car at the next pump ... the disheveled owner appeared out of nowhere and yelled that I owed his $7 CASH. WTF??? Round and round we went ... he took $7 cash for fuel from the black woman at the pump next to me and turned on the WRONG PUMP for her. Instead, he'd turned the $7 sale onto the grubby pump I had in hand. "You no sapose to be here! Dis cash own-re pump. You mak-a MIS-a-stake."  

Next stop ... my favorite post office; the very friendly and efficient Grand Island. Sherry weighed the huge parcel and quoted $30.02 postage to Pennsylvania. I mailed two other eBay parcels but had to notify the buyer of the shipping price by email. 

So, off we went to the bank, Hobby Lobby and eventually, the downtown Eustis post office. (The buyer paid ... so the big box was lugged in for mailing.) It was pouring rain, with a definite chance of heavier rain ... so in I went. The Eustis post office clerk weighed and measured and said "That'll be $50.75."  WTF??? He explained to me why my parcel couldn't go "Parcel Select" ... that would be for online purchase only. (???)

So, Lynne was surprised to see me lugging this big box back to the Kia. LOL. Off we went, back to Grand Island's post office, and sanity. $30.02 paid = parcel sent. 

Mark made roast beef panini sandwiches for our lunch! Delicious. After that, we met Randy at the bowling alley for some laughs and two games! Lynne was the winner today! We decided on bar-food and beer at the alley's bar. 

Les, paying Lynne's gutter ball fine ... LOL. 

Tomorrow morning, Les & Lynne begin their drive home. It's been great having them visit! Tonight though, it's wine and relaxing!  Ta ta. 

SUNDAY MARCH 22 2015

We're off to Olivia's for breakfast aboard "Mrs R B". We're first to disturb the glass-like lake! 

It was a perfect 70F ... it's fun to have company in the house as it makes we/me get up and out early! LOL 

What a pair of mugs. Haha. Les didn't want to be in the photo ... gotcha you photobomber. 

After breakfast ... 

A shot by the Heron ... Lake Eustis in the background. Mrs R B is docked to the left, just out of view. What a lovely morning for boating. It'll be 86 later on!

Robbie was happy to see us when we got home at 10:30, and decided to eat his breakfast. I guess the time change has him all mixed up too!

Sue phone. She and Wayne had the dogs out to "Five Sisters" for breakfast in the Kandi Coco. Their forecast is about the same as ours today. Last night, they went to the Elks. The place was packed. Randy was there with Dawn, Greg, Sue and Scott. (Apparently Scott is going to join the bowling on Thursdays!) Good deal!

We are expecting Randy and Dawn home on the motorcycle sometime today and hope to drop in for a visit. We'll see. It's been decided ... we'll have our roast beef dinner here, then drop in for a visit afterward to hear about the trip. 

The pop-ins at the bar ... many laughs, many stories. We were home by 10:45. Tomorrow is another day. 

SATURDAY MARCH 21, 2015

Good (middle of the night) morning! I awoke hungry ... poked around the kitchen and found the granola bars Jim sent home with us! That and a diet soda = perfection. Haha. Actually, I was also overheated from yesterday's boat ride. It seems we've gone from winter to summer, temperature wise. 

Hmm, apparently I went back to dreamland and slept til 8:30. No problem except we were planning on Olivia's for breakfast by boat. My bad. So, we had toast at home but went to Mount Dora's "Lost Parrot" for lunch. It was good! Nice open air restaurant on the corner of Donnelly and 4th. 

We were delayed half an hour getting home because of a car crash at our turnoff. Air ambulance landed on the highway to extract someone. One vehicle, a pickup truck, had taken out the cable box and hit the new steel power pole on the swale. It was in bad shape. The other vehicle, a Kia, faired better and was still on the highway, in the turn lane; but likely totaled. It's a bad intersection with a turn lane on a high speed curve. We hope everyone involved will recover. (Just seeing it took the wind out of our sails!)

Tonight we're celebrating Lynne's birthday! I baked Strawberry cupcakes and Mark cooked her Bolognase pasta. Lew popped in for a visit. His TV, Internet & phone are out due to the accident so he was looking for entertainment. Of course we obliged. LOL

After dinner, we began our game of Mexican dominoes. Lynne's luck had run out. Darn. Mark eventually won! Fun times. 

Tomorrow, we're off to Olivia's for breakfast.

Night night. 

FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2015

Good morning sunshine! I wonder how Scott's vision was this morning?

Mark, doing his "Stevie Wonder" impression with Scott's sunglasses. The inside of the sunglasses were covered with black electrical tape. Scott didn't notice last night when he picked them up here, but I'm sure he did this morning when he put them on to drive!!! LOL. We're betting that Randy nearly peed his pants laughing. Welcome to "prank-town USA" Mac. It's unfortunate we weren't more prepared last night or Mark would've snuck a rubber spider into the bike's saddlebags. Haha. 

Well, this morning, we've been bustling around getting ready for Les and Lynne's arrival. It looks like a perfect afternoon for boating! 

Robbie was excited to see Les & Lynne ... and away we went, boating!

Les had his sea legs from staying on Bob & Anne's boat in Stuart! LOL. Look at that perfect form while pouring wine. Nice shot of the carafe. Ha. 

Lynne, with Robbie, always enjoys a boat ride. 

We came home about 4 and relaxed ... read or napped ... then ate Mark's excellent Chili for supper. (Good batch!). Afterward, we pulled the MexicanTrain Dominoes out for a half game. Lynne is low score ... we'll have to finish tomorrow to see if she's the new champ ... (under 78) and steal Mark's glory. 

Tonight ... ice cream and hockey! Ta ta ... Hope your first day of spring was awesome. 

THURSDAY MARCH 19 2015

Good morning! Alas, there will be no long shot photo down the canal to start the day as we only had 1 number on the lotto last night. LOL

Mark and I were up early and off to the post office. Of course we had eBay items to ship, then a stop at Home Depot to pick up a few boxes, then Hobby Lobby for 4 plate stands and finally a huge grocery order at Walmart. Blah. 

This morning, on Facebook, an age-old question was finally answered.

LOL ... You just wouldn't believe how often this has come up in conversation over the years! Really. Haha. 

We phoned Randy this morning to see what he and Scott are doing. We thought they might want to meet us bowling, but Randy's bowling bag is in Dawn's car, and she's at work. So, they'll come over about Wine:30. 

Pizzazz at wine:30! Wowsa! Randy was JEALOUS!!!  Haha. Scott was still wired from a horrible winter in Connecticut and not into Happy Hour yet. He'll learn. Randy was tense ... going south tomorrow with Linda's ashes. Anyway, Scott forgot his sunglasses!! Oops. Randy just called, Scott is on his way over to pick up his glasses. Mark and I are just finishing up happy hour, 2 1/2 hours later, and watching Empire. Life is good!!! I'm not sure where Mark went, he just disappeared with a project to do in the garage, with electrical tape??? Who knows. 

Well that's all I can say on the subject today. More tomorrow. LOL. Ta ta. 

WEDNESDAY MARCH 18, 2015

Good morning! Wow ... I didn't wake until 7:15. Mark fed Robbie while I began packing. The time has come ... we've enjoyed every minute spent here with Jim in his slice of paradise. 

"Morning has broken, like the first morning ..." (Cat Stevens)

eBay beckons ... LOL ... I have a few items to pack and ship later today! Jim has things to do ...

so it's time to bid adieu to the Lord of the Manor ... 

Mark and I left about 10:30 ... travel was uneventful (yes, even in a KIA, Jim) LOL ... and we arrived home around 3. Robbie slept all the way!

Jim gifted us with a Pizzazz Plus which Mark cookedvwith tonight!  It's a really neat appliance ... and it'll save putting the oven on in the hot summer months. We love it!!! Thanks Jim!

Tonight, we're catching up on our TV shows and eBay duties. Hope you had a great day too. 

Ta ta. 

ST. PATRICK'S DAY 2015

Top of the morning to you !!!

Mark & Jim were handydoodies this morning and adjusted a glass door in the shower. Me, I spent the morning visiting at Sue's. It was a good time ... Shorty wasn't pleased to see me at first but sat in the chair nearby after an hour. Julius likes me!  We decided on a drive to Shih Tzu Rescue in Davie after lunch. 

Mark, Jim and I went to the Nauti Dawg for lunch but, it was closed. So, after watching the jack cravalls swim under the dock, we decided on Bonefish Macks. What a good place. Lunch was great ... and a nice atmosphere. 

Jim and me looking fabulous. LOL

After lunch, Jim drove, we picked Sue up and headed out to the rescue. It was a long drive! Three dogs were possible matches as a friend for Robs ... but he wasn't interested! Mark said, "Whew!" LOL. The shelter has a good setup with dozens of dogs available. Sue & Wayne support a good cause, that's for sure. Maybe Robbie will be a happy only dog. We'll see. 

The afternoon disappeared quickly. About 6 we left to pickup Sue (again) and went to Bella Roma for supper. Wayne stayed home with the doggies and missed a 2009 Chianti. Haha. Bella was remodeled since we were last there! It looked great ... was busy and loud!  Penne alla Vodka excellent. 

We came home and sat on the back patio with Jim and watched the airplanes overhead. It was just a beautiful night. I even dipped my feet in the pool. Ha ha

I hope you had a great St. Patrick's day!

MONDAY MARCH 16, 2015

Good morning Lighthouse Point ... and the lovely view from our suite! 

The view is across the infinity pool to the canal behind. 

Robbie likes the glass doors ... 

See, there IS a turret on this castle. 

Electric gates ... the whole shebang!!!

Breakfast!

After breakfast of toasted bagels, we all went to Rose's ... Villas by the Sea ... for lunch. Robbie was invited too and rode in Jim's Yukon. This little guy is quite spoiled now!  

Visiting at Rose's ... on the beach. There's a big private terrace overlooking all the action! The big monkey is George. The wee rascally monkey is Robbie!  LOL 

Sue popped in this afternoon to bring some different dog food for Robs.  We sat outside much of the afternoon; it was so breezy and warm. 

Tonight's plan was a dinner party for 8. Jim cooked a pork roast, porterhouse steaks, baked potatoes, veggie and Caesar salad. Everyone had fun ... plenty of stories were told ... several bottles of wine consumed. LOL

Joan, Sue & Wayne ... Cheers!

Robbie, Mark & Melody (teasing Robs with the squeaky chicken!)

Rose & Jim ... 

Our host, Jim with me. 

We finished the evening with Joan, Jim, Mark and I outside with coffee or a nightcap. It was a great evening!  

I hope your day was grand too!