Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Good afternoon. We are just on the way home from bowling. It was quite exciting as we had a group of kids next to us with lots of boom boom music and shouting. Ha ha. Mark has a sore back, but managed to bowl quite well today.

It was practice … 

Just to be fair, I had some serious distractions. 😂

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Good afternoon 🌞 … It’s a bright, beautiful day here in Central Florida! 

Our dental office had a cancellation for us both today so we had our cleanings done. Yay! (We missed our April appointments 🤷‍♀️ as they weren’t written on our paper calendar. Yeah, we still prefer a paper calendar!)

We have a bit of excitement for June … our granddaughters are coming to visit for a week. We’ll take them bowling with us and plan a cat boat tour from Mt Dora! 

A Scottie friend has put our meal presentation for Robbie’s and BeeZee’s breakfast to shame. 

Yeah. 😂 That looks like an hors de oeuvres platter. 

 We didn’t walk until 7 tonight when it was cooler for the dogs. 

Cute shadows 🐾🥰

Mark and I enjoyed the pool again tonight for an hour or so. The kids have chairs out there in the tiki hut. Fun times! 

Sunday, May 28, 2023

It’s already Monday evening so I’d better catch up here. 

Sunday’s bowling tournament was well organized. There were 25 teams, many bowlers we hadn’t seen before. The prizes were good … no one on our team won. It was a fun afternoon, and we were tired when we got home about 4:30. Randy had come over to take Robs and Bee out and give them treats. I had their favorite toys stuffed with chicken chips. 🐾😂 Randy said he enjoyed watching them work it out. They trade! 

Today was mostly catching up on everything else! Mark is building a gate for the side yard with a spring hinge. That way the kids can go outside diring the summer rains from the garage side door. 

In the SwimSpa tonight …

a pretty sunset. We were in about an hour. Venus was bright in the western sky. 

That’s the news for now. 

Saturday, May 27, 2023

There was no rain today! We puttered about this morning, napped, then …

We took the kids for a boat ride. 🐾🥰

Friday, May 26, 2023

It’s already evening … and I had my best day bowling … a 212! 🎳🤩

This was fun bowl … Mark took a day off so it was we 3 girls. Since we were alternating lanes (just the 3 of us) things got a little hairy. Nancy was first to bowl on the wrong lane 😂 and got a strike! We realized it when I went to bowl but Nancy’s name was still lit. Ha! Nevermind, I did the same thing on the 10th frame. Linda finished up bowling hers on the wrong lane just for laughs. 😂

After, Nancy and I went for a lesson at 4 o’clock! The guy Rich was very good! We both built confidence and  improved skills. I’m in for more of that!

Back home it was pool time with Mark. (A really fun day!)

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Good evening all y’all. 😂 Well yesterday we had the usual busy retirement day and bowled 4 games about noon. 

Later, we met RanDawn, Jan & Kenna at the Eustis Waterfront Grille. We had a super fun evening. The wait staff was great … Dawn’s daughter Brittany had babysat our waitress. It was hilarious when the girl blurted out that Brittany “is so OLD now!” 😂 

After dinner they came to our place to play spoons. What fun that was! I must remember it for a game day with the ‘hood. 

Today … Mark and I took a ride to the villages to visit with Wayne and Sue. We hadn’t seen Wayne since his operation, and wanted to visit. To take him a treat, we stopped at the Polish deli, and picked up some blueberry, pierogies, garlic, sausage, and Chocolate bars. Sue had put a pizza in the oven and we all sat around the kitchen table for lunch. It was really nice. SUSAN Gardens is so pretty with all the flower colors. After lunch, we girls went to HomeGoods to browse around. I bought a few things for the tiki hut but Sue did not find anything she needed. We actually found a painting that I thought would be nice for her guest room with the new Tommy Bahama furniture.  She is thinking about it. But, at home goods, you have to buy it when you see it because it is often one of a kind. 

Tonight, Mark and I poured a scotch and went in the pool for an hour. It was raining, but just light. It was so nice hearing it on the metal roof. Afterwards we watched a couple of “the expanse“. We are really enjoying that series. 

So that’s it for today. Lots of little bit of news but no pictures.  

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Good morning. Well, yesterday was bowling and as usual, we had a blast. Lynn and Steve and their new teammates Carl and Valerie played against us. Actually, Steve had a hand injury and had to sit it out. No problem, he drank some beer ha ha, Nancy thought she was going to be pure and not have a glass of wine until her bowling ball was acting erratically. Well, that’s our story, and we are sticking to it. Anyway, once she had a glass of wine and her things improved. 

We were playing on a couple of tough lanes, where it was difficult to find a sweet spot to get a strike. Anyway, it was all fun.

When we left for home, Nancy and Linda went to the bar and met up with JR, another of the bowlers that we have gotten to know. They didn’t get home for a couple more hours so apparently they had a very good time.

Both Mark and I were worn out last night so we just watched some TV and went in the pool with a glass of wine. Boy oh boy, a glass of red wine sure makes you sleep. 

Sue and Wayne have their friends, Amy and Raymond coming in town tonight on the way to their northern property. I hope they have a wonderful time visiting them around the Ocala area.  

Happy 37th Anniversary (or 36th?) to Melanie & Alaistair !!! 🥳🥂🍾🎉❤️

Their wedding day ❤️ (That’s the Buchanan tartan)

Tonight’s pool adventure was trimming the blue bubble cover to fit. Right now it’s about 80% … a bit more off the edges here ‘n there. Thunderstorms around the region have canceled the K’s dinner meet up with A & R. It would have been 15 miles to the halfway point. (No need on a rainy eve.)

Mark’s starting an overnight batch of pork Crock-Pet in the electric roaster. It’s going to smell yummy in the kitchen tomorrow morning. 

That’s it for tonight! Good telly with Deadliest Catch, Oak Island and at ten o’clock The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. Ta ta til tomorrow. 

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Good evening! It’s been a nice, easygoing day for us. Sue came for breakfast about 9:30 for a visit. It was fun to talk and of course the Scotties were happy tosee her too. 

Mark picked up some fresh plants at Home Depot to pit by the shed. It’s looked bare since the huge tree was taken down last winter. 

Plumbago will take off and fill-in nicely. They’re going to improve the view from the pool. 

After dinner we watched an episode of The Expanse then in the pool for an hour. Now American Idol is on … ta ta til tomorrow. 

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Good afternoon! It was a great morning for a boat ride to the Crazy Gator for our annual neighborhood lunch. The turnout wasn’t great … but we had lots of fun!

We took ‘newer’ neighbors Kristine and Mike also with us. Nancy joined us too. 

Gorgeous day!

The gang aboard Mrs R B … flat seas! 

Mike and Kristine (It’s her birthday 🥳 🥂🍾)

Wine was involved. Haha.  

Friday, May 19, 2023

Good evening. We’ve had a lovely Friday. We put it around a little this morning and then Nancy picked us up at 11:45 for fun bowl.  When we got to the bowling alley, there were 200 kids just finishing up. We knew it was going to be crazy busy, but had no idea just how loud it would be. We scooted off to the bar and close the door while the kids were loading up on the buses. OMG, the poor workers at the alley. 😳

The staff quickly put the bowling alley back to right and we started bowling about a half hour later. Herb, who we met last week, joined our little group. Linda bowled very well today as did Herb. Mark and I had good games, but certainly not our best. Nancy is seeking lessons and to get her ball drilled differently. The darn thing just will not hook.

Back home, the Barkbox arrived, and the kids had fun for an hour. Robbie loves to open it himself and does a fine job of shredding that cardboard. It seems. The toys are never the main fun, at least, not for him. He prefers the treats. But, Mz Bee is happy to give the toys a roughing up   

That boy knows how to open the BarkBox! 

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Good afternoon. Our most exciting thing today was taking Mz BeeZee to the vet. It was just a check up, a follow up to a possible UTI. She’s fine, everything is normal. While we were waiting, Mr. Whiskers, the friendly black and white cat greeted me. I petted him before Mark came into the room. Since we have her on watch at home for “cats ‘n rats ‘n elephants “ it was pretty exciting! Mr. Whiskers just stared at the black beastie and meowed. 😂 Bee raised a ruckus barking excitedly. Haha. Everyone knew she’d arrived. 

Mark made Buffalo Ranch Chicken for our dinner tonight. It was good … enjoyed it with sautéed veggies and mushrooms. Kim told him about it … it’s a keeper. 

RanDawn are fully booked with activities and dinners with Jan visiting. We’re going to meet up next Wednesday! Crazy how busy we’ve been since March! First it was prepping and selling the RV … then the big Dodge … then the prepping for the newest R ‘n R format. 😂 I totaled up the sun spent for our new endeavor to date, and we are under our budget of 30,000; maybe not by much, but under. 🥳 🥂🍾

I found the cutest photo bombs today … 

OMG a smiling horse! ❤️

I wonder how this ended? 😂

That’s it for tonight. We are going to open a bottle of champagne and celebrate! No, we are not entirely finished, but nearing the finish line. Cheers! 

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

It’s evening alteady! We’re just home from a new dinner spot in Mount Dora. It was friends night out with Elaine and Roger, Deenna and Eddie, Rose & Jim, Pat and Ken and us. The restaurant is called. Magical Meat Boutique British Pub. It’s quirky and fun. Everybody seemed happy with their fare. I had fish ‘n chips and Mark ordered the BIG shrimp and chips. (The shrimp were big!). We took the long way home along Lakeshore Drive. There have been quite a few mansions spring up since our last ride. 

Earlier this evening, we popped in at Candi and Jim’s house. Their daughter Riley has graduated second year nursing college, and next week graduates from high school. Yeah, that sounds backwards. She’s obviously quite brilliant. There were a lot of teenagers in the pool playing volleyball, so we went inside where the adults were hanging out. We couldn’t stay too long because of our friends night out commitment. Riley’s grandparents are in town celebrating with them. There is a table set up with all of Riley’s awards and sports achievements.  🥳 Congratulations! 

We have a cardinal nesting just outside our screen porch. They pick the oddest places. There are two speckled eggs laid.  

There’s always something going on at our house, maintenance wise. I went outside this morning and found Mark on the roof. He was tucking screen into various spaces to keep the bugs out. 

Funhouse pucture! 🤣

It’s front porch sitting time while Mark has a cigar and the dogs enjoy some chicken chips. Ta ta til tomorrow. 

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

No blog today. 😂 Maybe tomorrow. 

Monday, May 15, 2023

It’s going on 10 o’clock and we’re watching American Idol til 11 … Adam Lambert will be on! 

Earlier today our new screen room was finished and very nicely done by Home Creation! Thanks Randy & Josh. We love it. (We left them working, paid up, and left for bowling.) 

Bowling was fun! We played a good team … Dan, Mike, Penny & Dennis. Although we won 1 game, the Un-Bowlievables mopped the floor with us. 😂 

Granddaughter Izzy fishing off the pier at their complex in South Florida. 

So this evening we picked up Nancy and went to meet our bowling friends Linda, Jerry ‘n Bruce at Applebee’s for burger night. Once again, it was great. We had so many laughs. 

When we got back home, we cleaned up the new screen room, introduce the dogs to it and then got in for a swim. Lovely!!!

So, we’re waiting for Adam Lambert but getting some laughs watching Katy Perry’s antics and costume malfunctions. American Idol is FUN. 

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Good morning and happy Mother’s Day where it applies

Mark cooked us all eggs for breakfast this morning. And, later today we are meeting Sue and Wayne, Diane and Kris for dinner.  That’s pretty special.

Glad to see Paula, Jon and Jeremy together!

It looks like a fun time! 🥰 Everyone looks good. Happy Mother’s Day to Paula. 

Wayne & LaDonna popped in to see the new tub … they’re off tomorrow on a family reunion with LaDonna’s clan. 

Rick M gets his stitches out Tuesday from his knee replacement 10 days ago. Then, therapy starts. Mark suggested Rick should whittle a stick to bite down on for that. 😂 Rick was too “out there” for a witty reply. 🤪 It’s a tough surgery and very painful. Hang in there … the reward will be good walking! 

Our family dinner tonight at the Bistro at Grand Oaks was a lot of fun. Dinner was good, although it took a time or two to get Wayne and Kris’s lamb cooked the way they wanted it. It was really nice to be together. 

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Good morning. It was a night of tossing and turning. I got up at four in the morning to read for an hour and within a few minutes, Mark was up as well. Anyway, we both went back to sleep for a while. And, it’s Saturday, so nothing big on the schedule anyway. 

Friday, March 12, 2023

Good afternoon my peeps. Although there’s much finishing up to do, the Swim Spa is filled and operational! The heat is on … maybe a swim and a cocktail tomorrow afternoon! 

There’s a wall of pipes to be concealed … a bar shelf to be attached to the wall side, a cover caddy to be built and screens to be finished plus a door wall installed. But hey, it’s here! Yay. 

The Fun Bowl 🎳 was good … Rags joined us plus Paul and Herb. They were all good fun. 

We have no idea who Corinne is??? There was no one there by that name. 😳

Last night was cocktails on the front porch. It was a beautiful evening and then time for a little TV. We’ve been watching “the expanse.” It’s a sci-fi series. We are really enjoying it.  

Thursday, March 11, 2023

Good evening. The day seems to have disappeared in a flash. We began filling the tub about 10 o’clock this morning and it’s now seven in the evening and we are still filling it. It should be done in a half an hour or so. Our electrician comes tomorrow and then we can test everything out. We can hardly wait. 

Mark made a run to Home Depot to get something to divert water from going under the tub in a rainstorm. It’s not that it would hurt anything … but it should drain off in another direction. 

Randy and Dawn went to Orlando today to visit Dawn’s mom’s cousin. I am sure they had lots of fun and a little shopping thrown in if I know Dawn’s love for the mall.  😂 (We will make plans to see Jan next week.)

It’s Mother’s Day weekend, and we actually have some plans. We will be meeting Sue, Wayne, Diane and Kris for dinner. 

And that’s our news for today.

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Good evening. It was a day of wait and see but  eventually our tub arrived at 5 o’clock.  The two fellas had it on a tilt trailer and manually wrestled it into place. Of course Mark was right in there helping.

Off it goes with some manly help onto roller dollies. 

Mark looks like a gnat next to this big fella. 😂 

There are quite a few components that we have to add to it, plus there’s electrical to be finished, screens too then of course we have to fill the pool. It holds 1250 gallons. That’ll take about 5-6 hours. 

After the delivery fellows left, we came in and had dinner, then went out to the front porch. A storm was brewing, and a big branch had fallen from the sweetgum tree onto the powerlines. It was sparking and catching fire as it connected with the ground wire. So, we called the fire department who got in touch with the electrical company. The fire truck came … then the Duke Energy technician arrived to trim the branch. 

We might say we had an interesting day! Ha ha. 

We never did get rain! 😂 It’s telly time now! 

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Good afternoon. Mark and I both had a lot of puttering to do around the house with our Swim Spa delivery tomorrow. I believe we are ready. Ha, I’m sure we’ve forgotten something.

Congratulations to our friend Jim. 

🥳  🥂 🍾  🎉 

Randy and Dawn have decided to go on our 30th anniversary cruise in 2024. It’s going to be a fabulous trip, and a chance to visit our UK family. Of course I have plenty of cousins there and Mark has his nephew, Bob and family. We will arrange a couple of days there so we can see everyone.

Diane and Kris have bought another house in the villages. It looks very nice in the pictures. Kris is acting as a contractor and overseeing the work that needs doing. Here is a cute picture of Bella and Beau. 

Aren’t they just the cutest couple of doggies?

I managed to get my paint out this afternoon for a couple of hours as I missed game day today. It was nice to paint one of the palm fronds that I want for hanging in the new Tiki area.  

See what else I see to have painted. 

👩‍🎨 🎨 🤪

That’s it today! 

Monday, May 8, 2023

Good Monday morning! It’s two days til SwimSpa delivery! Our screen guys will be here sometime today to do the upper portion along the house wall. 🤞

And today’s league bowling 🎳. Linda prebowled last Friday as she’s at the dentist. It’s up to Nancy, Mark and me to win the games today! Rah rah, We Can Do It! 

Yup, these are our team shirts! Rosie’s Rollers. 

When we got home from bowling, I saw that they had done quite a bit of work before calling it a day. 

More tomorrow! 

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Good evening! It’s been a putter about the house day until 4 o’clock when we went to Nancy’s for pizzas on her porch. The breeze off the lake was gorgeous! 

Nancy had Pat and Ken plus Linda (bowling) and Gerry too. We had plenty of stories from seafaring Maine to horse racing Kentucky. It was most enjoyable! 

The pizzas came from downtown Eustis, somewhere new for us to explore. They had a nice crust. Pat brought salad fixin’s and Nancy poured Smirnoff Kissed Caramel vodka on ice for dessert. Yum. 

Our table at Lynn and Steve’s reception yesterday. 

Back home we took the kids for a ride on the golf cart. They sure enjoy it! 

Tomorrow our screen installers will begin the work. It’s a bit exciting … and expensive. Yikes. Oh well. 

Robbie’s in trouble with Mark tonight. He was clipping a sticker or burr from between his paw pads when Robs snapped and caught Mark’s thumb joint. Ouch. The scissors went one direction and the dog the other. 😳

That’s our day. It’s American Idol now. Ta ta. 

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Good evening. It’s been a busy day enjoying Lynn and Steve’s wedding! It was pretty elaborate, lots of friends and family there to celebrate with them.

The ceremony started at 2 o’clock, and by 3 o’clock, the party was on.  

The flower girls were so sweet … their mother wall calling “SMILE!!!” 😂

Lynn’s sister has battled brain cancer since new year’s eve! And here she is, celebrating with her sister. 😍

Clyde and Jake got along from the get go. Two very sweet dogs. 🐾🥰

Lynn’s family grew! Christmas is going to be cra-cra. 🎅🏼 

What a delicious dinner from Olive Garden … plenty of beer and wine … add  a very good DJ and you have a P A R T A Y 🥳

Congratulations to the new couple! So happy you both have a fresh start! Enjoy your cruise! 

Friday, May 5, 2023

Good evening!  It’s Cinco de Mayo! Celebrate with a Margarita like half the USA today. Cheers!

Today we met Nancy and Linda for Fun Bowl. Both of them bowled well today! Nancy’s high was 160! And Linda’s was 164! Our team is coming together again. 🎳 It was a great afternoon and everyone in our group won a little cash. Both Linda and Mark had chances at $65 and $45 but … missed the shots. Next time maybe. 🤞

After our Mexican dinner, we sat on the front porch while the Scotties worked on peanut butter pretzel ice cream cups. Publix carries them plus their favorite “Eeee Eeee” toys. 

It was a fun time for them. THEN the new Giggle Ball arrived from Amazon and BeeZee went crazy chasing it. Robbie just waits for treats to fly out. 😂

Our sweet boy 🐾😂

We FaceTimed Rick tonight … just home from the hospital at noon! Ruth made him fish n chips for lunch and we caught him resting. Wishing you a comfortable night Rick. Keep that knee moving!

Sue and Wayne went out for dinner with neighbors tonight to the Nancy Lopez country club. It was very nice Sue said. 

Randy and Dawn picked up Dawn‘s mom at the airport today. She’s here for a months visit.  We will make a point of meeting them for dinner. 

That’s it for today!