WEDNESDAY JANUARY 7, 2015

It was one of those middle of the night encounters. I woke up hot, no, just overheated, LOL, and found Mark cooling down under the ceiling fan, in front of the Livingroom TV. He was overheated too!  

By 9 AM, we were all up having breakfast when Randy arrived on the motorcycle. We lazed around, had extra coffee, and at 11 o'clock Randy went to pick up altered pants at Nila's and home to cut grass. Rick, Ruth, Mark and I sat down to play half a game of Mexican Dominoes. It was a lot of fun. 

At 2 o'clock, we met Randy at The Hideaway for lunch! It was a beautiful 70° afternoon. Ruth chose a table by the water with the sun peeking through the cypress trees. Perfect.

Rick, Randy, Ruth and Mark ... at Lake Harris; The Hideaway. 

About 4 o'clock, Rick, Ruth and Daisy headed south to their lovely boat. Randy went home ... Mark and I went home to feed and walk Robbie. 

Tonight, it's going to be chilly willy!

Mark lit a nice fire for our evening at home! Snuggle alert indeed. 

From the look of the (ugly) pails stuffed with wood, it's going to be a cosy fire! Stay warm. Ta ta. 

TUESDAY JANUARY 6, 2015

Good morning! The house looks so bare without Christmas decor. Darn. Anyhow, it's a bright beautiful sunny 72°F. 

Mark and I decided to do the Atkins diet and get a jumpstart on a weight loss regime. It's been a very full festive season and we've apparently eaten our way through it! LOL. So, Mark went grocery shopping while I waited for Rick and Ruth's arrival. 

It's fun to remember that there is an icy winter happening north of Florida. Rosemary Farm in the Catskills Mountains of New York posted this very real, and very funny, picture on Facebook. 

There's always much debate within the equine community as to blanket or not blanket horses. The thought is mature, healthy horses can stand extreme temperature changes as long as their hair is dry. Of course, it's another thought with horses that are elderly, thin or recovering from an illness. Low ranking herd members are often denied shelter. 

LOL ... these two are obviously young and healthy ... and they don't need no stinking blankets. Haha. 

This Facebook post says it all ... straight from the horse's mouth. 

And that's all for that subject today. 

Rick, Ruth and Daisy arrived about 2:45 for a visit. Randy and Dawn are on their way over too! We are all going to Oakwood Smokehouse for supper tonight. I know Randy and Dawn want to go bowling afterwards, so we shall see who's into it. 

Well, Randy and Dawn bowled three games before meeting us at Oakwood. Dinner was delicious ... good food ... good company ... good times! We were happy to come home and relax (with more wine!) 

Ta ta for now. 

MONDAY JANUARY 5, 2015

Good morning y'all. It was a busy one here. Mark sorted, cleaned and stored his hunting equipment for another season.

Me? I was spurred on to put Christmas away, finally, (haha) but two days earlier than planned. It had to be done! You see, Rick and Ruth are coming to visit tomorrow! (I didn't want them to feel like the movie "Groundhog Day"!) We're taking them to Oakwood Smokehouse for dinner and then play Mexican Dominoes at home. But that's tomorrow's plan. 

Robbie and I took a drive to our local post office and mailed the earrings for Lynne's granddaughters. He needed to get out of the house for a few minutes! 

Today, Mark and I are met Randy & Dawn at the bowling alley by 3:30. (At 1:30, they were still laying in bed watching TV. Ha ha!) Mark called them a couple of old geezers. LOL. 

Dawn got her new pink hearts bowling ball today ... a gift from Randy. 

Now she matches ... shoes, socks and bowling ball. LOL. She WON the first game with it today. Nice. 

The Randy-Man throwing a sweet strike!

By the way, there's a new rule in effect for our weekly bowling. A gutter ball on the first ball of the frame means you must ante up a dollar in the pot! (Randy and I threw in $2 each; so we bought 4 scratch off tickets and WON $4 ... so we're even! LOL.)

After bowling, we all came home for pot luck pasta and drinks. 

Axe Men (with Shelby) was on TV ... Robbie liked it too! (He's been a little lonely these past few days with company gone.)

That's the news for now. Ta ta. 

SUNDAY JANUARY 4, 2015

Good day! It's a hot one in Central Florida ... at 85F it's close to a record for this time of year (winter)! Thursday is forecast to be 55F after a cold front heads down the peninsula!  WTF? It's one extreme to another ... how about our usual 75-80 days and 60-65 nights please. LOL

Yesterday, Sue and Wayne met "the lake gang" for dinner in Fort Lauderdale. 

L-R ... Sue, Joanne, Doug, Jim, Bruce, Heather, Rose and Wayne. Sorry we missed seeing everyone! (Hope Wayne was feeling better!)

Mark spent the morning on the tall ladder painting the north side house soffits and gable. Me, I did two more loads of laundry, paid the bills, ordered Randy's bowling bag, went to Walgreens and then began the Christmas tidy-up. (No, not the tree yet, just all the other foo-fa-rah.) 

Randy had ordered a custom bowling ball for Dawn (no, it's not a secret) and was looking at a roller case at the pro shop. I found a two-ball case with space for shoes and accessories at $34 less than a similar bag at the pro shop.)

We have the shoes, the (bowling) balls (LOL) and the rolling cases; maybe it's time to invest in a pro lesson? 

The wine glasses I ordered on Etsy arrived yesterday. They are in perfect condition ... BUT smaller than our originals. I researched the pattern online and made a discovery ... 

I've been using WATER GOBLETS for wine!!! LOL. No wonder we have such FUN dinner parties ... look at the size of glasses we've been using!!! 

Pops of Anarchy must have spent his Sunday at The Hideaway ... we didn't see him today. (Scott LOVES that nickname for Randy!) LOL

Wayne is feeling a little better today. Us? We're both worn out. Haha. 

Hope you had a super Sunday! Ta ta til the morrow. 

SATURDAY JANUARY 3, 2015

Good morning! It's going to be a very warm day, in the 80's ... but it's a wee bit foggy now. 

Yesterday afternoon Les and Lynne treated us to bowling and lunch at Breakpoint Bowling Alley in Tavares. Randy arrived with his fireball and the party was on. 

(Guess who took the bowling score pic?) Haha. 

Last night, Randy hosted our now weekly Mexican Dominoes / pizza night. Dawn worked until 8, so just played half a game. Les and Lynne remembered the rules and played like champs too. It was lots of fun. (I asked them to teach Rick and Ruth when they see them!) It was a busy 4 day visit with shopping, a NYE party, boat ride, bowling and dominoes parties. Lynne, who seldom sleeps a full night, slept from 9:30 pm to 7:30 the next morning. Haha. 

Today, Les and Lynne left about 9 for a drive to Pompano Beach and their hotel "home" for the next two months. It's just 4 hours in the car ... a mere drop in the bucket after what they already drove. 

It's going to be a day of laundry and chores here ... we've been having too much fun lately. LOL. 

Mark is readying the RVPORT side of our house for painting ... then the house will be done! There's still more painting ... Mark's shed and BBQ area but that's later! Next week we're expecting a few cooler days; nicer for outside work.  

Sue reported she sold a vintage necklace I'd donated to Shih Tzu Rescue's eBay site. Good news! Things are selling quite well. 

Back from our walk, it's still 77 and muggy. (?) This is a strange winter!

More tomorrow! Ta ta. 

FRIDAY JANUARY 2, 2015

I really like writing 2015 ...

especially in sparklers! Yeah!

As forecast by "moi", yesterday was much quieter ... not hungover, just less energetic. We took "Mrs R B" for a cruise on Lake Dora and poked into waterfront neighborhoods we'd not seen before. 

It was a 70F gray-day that felt cooler on the boat. Since Les and Lynn love a boat ride in any weather, we donned jackets, loaded the cooler and "went for it"! LOL

No sense crabbing about the cloud cover  in Florida ... it's all over North America today, again! LOL 

In the Dora Canal, there's a community called Mid Florida Lakes with "Gnome Village" on an Knome Island. 

Someone puts a lot of love into this ever-changing display. It's so cute! Now "they" know we slowed the boat and enjoyed it today. (My favorite gnome is leaning over the stream bed ... the one in "Florida Gators" colors; you know, blue shirt and orange hat!) LOL 

Lynn wanted to cook us dinner last night and cook she did. There was chicken sizzling in the frypan, potatoes boiling in one pot and green beans in another! Everything was delicious! We sat around the dining room table for an hour afterwards chatting before Robbie decided it was time for a walk. What a beautiful evening ... just a light breeze. Mark and Les watched football while I puttered about and Lynn read. It was a fine day. 

2015 !!!!!

Happy New Year !!!  

Haha. Good day, eh! The sun is shining and its 60F going to 74 this afternoon. A boat ride is planned!

Lew & Lynn's New Year's Eve party was great fun. Lynn had a scavenger hunt with clues hidden around her house. Dawn's team won ... bags of candy! Dinner was hot and ready for us ... dance music and the works!

There was a new "couple" on the dance floor ...

Cheek to forehead. Hee hee.

Lynne and Les took a spin on the dance floor ...

and looked fabulous!

Did someone say "fabulous"?

The always entertaining Cindy Hughes!

Lew was seen attempting to light the propane heater with cigar in his mouth!

Fortunately, the heater never did light!!!

Nice horns on Lynn's hat. LOL. 

Les was a  B-L-U-R.

The chief mischief makers ...

Mark, Randy and Lew!

Forty-eight years ...

and counting! 

It was a beautiful evening ...

with about 40 partners! It was fun. 

Meanwhile, Sue and Wayne went to The Elks for their celebration. 

The "two Sue's" looking lovely. 

Randy and Dawn slept in our RV on the driveway last night. They came into the house for Mark's breakfast casserole of eggs, cheese, kielbasa and hash browns. It was very tasty with a dollop of sour cream. 

This afternoon, we're going boating with Les and Lynn ... Randy and Dawn have other plans though. Tonight, Lynn is cooking a special chicken dish with Grand Marnier for dinner. I suspect it will be a quieter night. LOL

That's it for today! Enjoy your first day of 2015.