Saturday, June 30, 2018

Good morning. It’s a nice cool start to our day, well at least a cool start in the summertime. It was 74° with a high of 83 forecast. We’ll take it. That’s awesome. 😎 It’s the last day of June, so let’s make it a good one. 👍🏻

Yesterday, Mark took a load of brush to the dump only to find the dump was flooded and he was unable to get in. So, he’s up and out early this morning to make sure he can offload the brush today. 

Speaking of yesterday, our friend Nancy was invited to join us at the Fish Camp for dinner. She had pressing matters to take care of at a democratic convention in South Florida. 

Hahaha ... it looks like you landed a good one Nancy! 

Our only plans today are to meet aunt Jane at 5 o’clock at the Olive Garden. She is now able to drive but still using her walker. Apparently her hip has completely healed, finally. She sees the doctor on 19 July and hopes to get final clearance and ditch the walker. Meanwhile, we’re happy that she can get out and around. Bo-Bo is doing very well and stays out of her way while she gets up from the chair, etc. We’re sure glad she has him for company. 

If you’ve seen these cartoons on Facebook I hope you’ll “Like” and “Share” them ... Birgit Keil . doodlefrau ... In a Word. The Scottie is Stuart. It’s very funny. 

So I spent my day making jewelry items for my eBay store. Now, Robbie is holding me down by sitting with me (for half and hour!) He was my guard dog all day while I was working. Funny guy. 

Mark and I met Jane at Olive Garden at 5 for dinner. I wish we had thought to take a picture as she looked terrific ... hair done, new dress and jewelry! Hopefully she will be rid of the walker in the next week or two. Dinner was very good, we’re just not used to eating carbs so feel a little uncomfortable now. It was a very nice evening. When we got home we took the dogs for a walk. It’s nice and cool here 75°. 

Friday, June 29, 2018

Good morning. Well, I seem to be the only one up. I took the dogs out at seven and they both went back to their beds and Mark is still asleep and it’s now 830. What the heck is going on in this house? Well it’s forecast to be a beautiful day with a high of 86. That’s more like it for this time of year in our slice of Central Florida. (It’s 75° now.) 

At Sue & Wayne’s cottage there was a dinner party with some crazy fun. 😂

Jim had the fanciest hat ...

and I don’t know yet “why” the yellow glasses but I’m sure to hear about it all soon. 😜 Everyone looks great! Party on! 🎉 

Tonight we went to Fish Camp on Lake Eustis with Pete & Karen. 

Good food, good friends! Back home we had chocolate cake! 

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Good morning summertime sunshine! Mark was up early to install a timer on our sprinkler system. Yeah, we had one that wasn’t working properly so he replaced it. ✅ Done. Who’s the man? 😎

It’s game day for me ... this time at Elaine’s home. Her hubs Roger makes the best snacks for us and then disappears for the afternoon. (We always invite him to join us but he won’t.) 😂 

While we 7 girls were at Elaine’s, a huge crack of thunder shocked us and Carin threw her Red Wine in the air ... it was hilarious; she had Red sweet Wine all down her white T-shirt. Well it was tons of fun and even Winston Churchill made an appearance. 🙄😜😂 

Roger, Elaine’s hubs, cooked us meatballs, some oven baked ??? and a batch of brownies before he left for lunch! What a cool 😎 guy! We played Rummicube. It was loads of laughs. Tomorrow night might be fish fry with the gang! 

Saturday night, we are taking aunt Jane to the Olive Garden for dinner. 

Pam called tonight and she was visiting Jackson (and Danny) in the Myrtle Beach area! Danny and Jackson sold the Asheville home last year and made a move to the coast. 

He’s a handsome 17(?) or 18 now. ❤️

Pam says he’s so polite. (Good job Danny!)

Pam drove to visit daughter Christine in Nashville, back home to Minneapolis and then flew to Myrtle Beach. She’s off to London next to see son Bob and family plus has a new grandchild due in New York in July. Busy busy! 

Thanks for calling Pam and keeping us in the loop. ❤️

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Good afternoon. It was a bit later than usual start to our day as we didn’t go to bed until after midnight. While Mark cooked our bacon & eggs I made a batch of Scottie food; baked sweet potato with ginger and vegetable oil, baked potatoes with olive oil and parsley, mixed vegetables with broccoli and cauliflower and Dr. Harvey’s Veg-To-Bowl dried mix with no-salt chicken broth. It’s all “human” food ... and Mark cooked them a boneless chicken breast for tonight‘s dinner.  Once we got into the routine, it’s pretty darn simple to give them wholesome safe food. Other things we give them our apple slices, banana, yogurt, eggs and fish. They get a pretty darn good variety! Aroooo

So, this afternoon we are all going swimming. Drat, it’s not even 1 o’clock and I hear thunder. What the heck is with our weather? It is so warm in the mornings right now that the thunderstorms are rolling in earlier and earlier. Now it’s good that the rain cools us down, but it’s a very unusual weather pattern for Central Florida. Is this an El Niño year?

It was a fun swim ... Robbie got over his reluctance and joined BeeZee for a dip. Mz Bee really enjoys herself and swims to Mark and back to the steps with ease. The HedzUp swim collars are terrific! 

Back home, the dogs had a bath, I threw the towels in the washer and we all went for a ride on The Caddy! It’s a nice afternoon. 

This evening we caught up on our TV shows ... and got a cute pic from Dawn. 

She’s enjoying her new soft blankie. 👍🏻

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Good morning. Today is Dawn‘s birthday and our friend Jim G’s birthday! 🥂🍾🍰 

“Super-cute” shoes! This is how I started Dawn’s Birthday with a cheery text ... 

Yes, that really did make me LOL ... laugh out loud! Then, I sent a cheery picture to Jim ... 

the Big Guy turns the Big 80! Congratulations Jim ... cheers 🥂🍾 to a wonderful year! ❤️

Mark is cooking his pesto stuffed chicken and Marcy’s broccoli Cheez-It casserole. Hors deourves are shrimp, carrots, celery and orange pepper with dip. Of course there will be Proceccio for a birthday toast to Dawn. Her choice of dessert is Key Lime pie! 

Opening a few pressies after dinner. 

Official birthday picture. We were all bamboozled after the champagne ... lots of fun. 🥂🍾 Dawn had a phone call from her mom and then from Bob and Jill. We were all on speakerphone and caught up with the news. 

It was a good evening! Now it’s midnight. Ta Ta. 

Monday, June 25, 2018

Good morning. It’s another hot one forecast for us today. Mark has taken a load of brush to the dump from the project house and I am creating some new jewelry pieces for sale. My job is easier than Mark’s ‘cause I’m in the AC. 😜

We want to wish Kris a very happy birthday. I know Diane will be doing something special for him today. ❤️

It was a busy day for both of us right till 5 o’clock. Then, I took the dogs for a ride on the golf cart. It was 91° and hot as hell. Now, it’s 630 and we have a lovely rain storm and it’s cooled down to the low 80s.! 😎That’s Florida in summer. 

Mark has Randy’s truck loaded up for another drive to the dump tomorrow. We had planned to take the dogs swimming tonight, we would be swimming to get over there now. Ha ha.

BeeZee... watching the rain. Mark and I sat with a glass of vino and relaxed. We thought about our neighbor Steve. He passed away Saturday of a heart attack. Poor guy has been hauling oxygen tanks around  since he moved here 3 years ago. His wife Shelby said that Steve’s in a better place and won’t have to haul the tank around. Steve was 76. 

That’s our day complete. It’s TV time, the news first then some favorites. 👍🏻

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Good morning. I was up and off to a running start at 7:30 this morning; Mark, not so much. Ha ha. It started as a hot steamy day with 80° at 9 o’clock. What the heck is going on around here? It feels like the dog days of August, two months early. So, we got the dogs fed and walked early and now they are happily asleep in the air-conditioning. 

Last night, Sue and Wayne had a good time at Doug and Joanne’s fish fry. The rain held out until after 8 o’clock. There are no pictures as they were too busy selling tickets for “It’s a Dog’s Life” raffle. 👍🏻 Yes, we bought a couple of tickets as well. 

Mark is working across the street cleaning up the brush and making another load for the dump. He came in a few minutes ago to get some vinegar for two yellow jacket stings on his hands. Oh boy, they looked really sore. Poor guy! Ouch. 

Me? I am re-organizing my jewelry and craft area today. There are so many tiny components that could become overwhelming. So, rather than making something today I am organizing. 

Randy and Dawn are going to the Hideaway this afternoon and then will meet us at Stavros for dinner at 6 o’clock. I hoped that Diane and Kris would be able to meet us, but she is headed back to Georgia Boys where Kris is rebuilding the fish cleaning station. Yes, even on a Sunday there’s always something to be done.

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Ha! Good afternoon. Did I mention the irresistible Amazon bargain on plant pots I found in early May? Well they were a huge bargain ... 

They were SIX for $37.15 OMG I had to get ‘em!

Here’s my parlor Palm repotted. Schweet. 🌱 

Our new Palm majesty, potted. 👍🏻 Nice. 

After all the potting, we watched a little golf and then had happy hour on the front porch with the doggies. It was stifling at 93°. We could hear thunder in the distance and eventually got a small storm which dropped our temperature to 76. Now that’s nice. 😁

I phoned Dawn to check on her progress after yesterday‘s dental work. She and Randy were still in bed, watching movies at 5 o’clock (PM.) Do you think they need turning so they don’t get bedsores? 😆 Dawn still had pain from her dental work so I suggested mom’s cure which always helped me! Whiskey!  Mouth full, swish it around for a full minute and spit it out. Of course no good Scot is going to spit it out, so swallow. 😜 Really, it’s the best thing for a sore mouth. ✅

Sue and Wayne are going to Doug ‘n Joanne’s fish fry. Were there last year, and there were about 40 friends around enjoying the catch of the day. So sad it was raining, so we hope it clears up so they can enjoy it. Party on! Let us know how many fish Wayne and Dennis contributed. 

So after happy hour, thunderstorm rolled in and pulled us down to 76°. We are all sitting on the porch watching Mark wash the front of the grand junction ... yes folks, he’s on an aluminum ladder holding him aluminum pole during a lightning storm. OMG. 

Get ‘Er done. 😂 Mark hung the shade cloth in front of the RV, washed the fence off and we’re done. We can’t wait till the next trip out to start all this over. OMG. 

Today, on our shopping rounds, we stopped in the Humane Society store and spotted this mid century lamp, bright orange. We had to buy it for Marky Mark who is renovating the house across the street from us. He and wife Lani have decided on a mid century modern style. 👍🏻

Mark was spot on with this as Marky Mark said it matches the leather sofa they just bought. 😁

Friday, June 22, 2018

Good day! We’ve spent several hours deep cleaning the house and are now watching Ancient Aliens on the History channel. 👽 Finally our American government admits to having and reverse engineering UFO 🛸 crafts. 👍🏻 NOW we’re getting somewhere. 😁

Sue and Wayne went to a dinner party at Jim‘s last night. It looks like they had beautiful weather and a fun time. 

Clearwater Bay in the background. 

It was a salmon-fest ... fresh caught by Jim and his grandsons in BC. Nice eh!

On the homefront, Dawn had dental surgery today. Randy picked up medication for her and she is sound asleep. So, they will not be joining us for Friday night fish fry. Our friend Nancy is coming along with us. 👍🏻

At 10 o’clock we sat down to watch the news. It was a fun time with Nancy ... dinner was really good; cod, fries and coleslaw ... with wine. 

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Good morning! Yes, it’s the Summer Solstice! 

It’s the longest day of the year here in our hemisphere. North of the equator will have 12 hours (at least) of daylight today. Mr. Sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer. 

So it was a hectic day here. We took our Dodge into Advantage for an oil change, differential fluid change and a wash. While Ol’ Silver was having a spa day I rode with Mark in Da Mounty to Randy’s. There we swapped vehicles and borrowed Randy’s pickup. We of course had a visit and plenty of laughs. Dawn called from work and we made birthday plans with her. Key Lime pie ✅  ... stuffed chicken breast ✅ 😋 requested. 👨‍🍳 

Wayne enjoying the chair with Julius and Shorty. It’s 36C or 90F at the cottage. What an early heatwave they’re having! 

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Whew! Mark backed the rig in first time. We’re TIGHT to the house wall; I need to get used to where the RV tires back onto the boards, but it’s done before 9 o’clock. Yay 😁 

Meanwhile at Lake of the Woods, Julius and Shorty enjoyed yesterday’s happy hour on the dock. 🐾💕

It was a creative day for me making a dozen car charms for sale. That was the fun part; now to take pics and list them on eBay. Maybe I should try a different venue; Etsy? 

Mark went to chop fire wood for next winter. I loaded up the golf cart and took the kids for a ride.  That was exciting! As I rounded one street corner two small dogs raced out to attack the cart. I stopped to avoid running over paws; lucky my Scotties were caged. The poor woman ran out to gather her brats. No problem ... we carried on our ride when neighbor Geeno had his two chihuahua mix dogs loose just 3 doors away. I thought we’d gotten past the two alerted doggies til BeeZee barked at them. Game on! I raced down the road (10 mph?) with a nasty chihuahua in hot pursuit. I had to stop the cart as Geeno was running down the street behind his dog (and as Mark later said “Bet he hasn’t run in 20 years!”) 🤣 🏃 Meanwhile, BeeZee was scream-barking (Robbie, just watching.) OMG what Caddy ride. 🙄

So, pulling in back at home I was looking for Mark chopping firewood but was very surprised to see him standing at a work table cutting wood with a chain saw. Heeheehee ... that wasn’t what I thought he was doing. Paul Bunyan, not so much. BTW, the K’s former lots on our street will soon have a new home built. 

Lew and Lynn are in Bar Harbor Maine on their cruise. Here’s Rose and Lynn ... 

Haha ... I’d fire THAT photographer! Apparently it’s rainy and cool ... a nice change from Florida in summer. 

At 2 o’clock we took the Scotties and went swimming. They were both happy to have their HedsUp collars on. Both happily sat on the pool steps while we floated around. Mz Bee really seems to enjoy the pool and jumps in for a swim about! Robs is getting a little braver; he’s just a cautious guy. It was good fun ... so nice and cool. 

At 4:30 the kids had their frosty paws on the front porch while we drank wine. Finally at 5:30 we were forced inside by a looming thunderstorm. 👍🏻

Now it’s Rummy time. ♦️ 

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Good morning! Yes, the heat is on; it’s 76F at 8 o’clock and forecast to be 90 late afternoon. 

We’re happy to have professional lawn care; we’ll do the air conditioned type jobs. 😜 

It was another busy day around here but the RV has an updated king bed and 2 light switches that Mark replaced. It’s easy-peasy when we do things but by bit. Tomorrow morning we’ll back it in to the RVPORT out of the sun. 😎

Well it’s official ... Randy has a titanium right knee coming next month. It’s a pain getting it done but well worth it to be rid of the constant agony of living “bone on bone.” Yikes! Dawn will be the chief cook and bottle washer and pill nurse. Unfortunately Mark and I have booked (and paid) for an RV trip during this time. 🤨 Last date for a refund from Stone Mountain campout was May 20th. 🙄 Randy said he will be okay with Dawn’s nursing care and requested a skimpy “nurse costume” for her. 😂

Sue and Wayne are enjoying nice weather at the cottage this month. Here’s a pic taken from their dock. 

Beautiful eh! 🇨🇦 

After a nice dinner we watched our favorite Tuesday night TV ... Below Deck and Deadliest Catch! Guess we like boats! 

Monday, June 18, 2018

Good afternoon. Well, it’s been a busy morning. We made a list of items needed for our next RV trip. I had $50 in rewards at Walgreens! So, I took a drive and got everything we needed for $5 out of pocket! 😎 While I was putting all the items away in the RV, Mark vacuumed and screwed down the new wood ramps in the RVPORT. 👍🏻  After that, I did the laundry and Mark pressure washed The RVPORT floor. 😎

Now it’s 3ish and it’s relax time! I ordered a new ZINUS “cooling” bed for the RV. Sweet. 

After a busy day, we had a quick dinner and plan to relax tonight. 

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Good Sunny Sunday morning and a very Happy Father’s Day to the special men in our lives! 

We left the KOA campground at 9:30 ... it was already 88F and muggy! Too hot for me, that’s for sure. At 12:30 we’d already had a break for the dogs and were nearing Orlando toll booth. Traffic is busier here. We got home in good time ... 91F at 1:30. Yikes. So we unloaded the necessaries and cooled down in the house for awhile. 

RanDawn met us at Stavros for dinner at 5:30 and our favorite waiter, Connor, was there. We had some fun and a good dinner. They had grocery in the car so headed home. 

Now here we sit enjoying the front porch with a wine while Robs and Bee have their frosty paws. It’s lovely now; 83F. Our gardenia is blooming again after it’s “planting” shock and smells heavenly! 

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Good morning! We heard the lions roaring at 8 o’clock ... time to get up and have some FUN.  We’re going back to LCS to walk about the amusement area and gift shop. 

The flamingos are beautiful ... such a rich coral-pink! 

My iPhone pic has a gorgeous glow about them! Wow. 

Robbie and BeeZee are enjoying plenty of individual walks about the campground. The ground here is saturated and Mark carries the dogs a few feet to the pavement to walk. Today he had to put boards under our RV’s front jacks ... 

At 11:30 Mark and I went to Home Goods for some retail therapy.  I found a flamingo tablecloth for our Sunroom dining table, 3 metal plant stands in a deep sea foam green and some potpourri. Schweet. 

Tonight we’re have a catered dinner with salad, steak, chicken, grilled veggies, roasted potatoes, corn bread and dessert. 😋 After eating it’s charades! That should be a blast. 

Well it was SO MUGGY at the pavilion that we ate dinner and folks disappeared back to their A/C. Great dinner! Lots of cold beer and wine. We invited Karen and Pete over for a nightcap. Their grandson Peyton will enjoy the doggies. 

Friday, June 15, 2018

Good morning from sunny Southern Florida. We had a great night’s sleep 💤 and plan a relaxing day. Mark is walking the dogs at 7:15 while I drink my DSO in the recliner. Life is pretty darn good. 

At 9:30 we took a ride to the Safari ... and it’s great. (Mark and I remembered it from years past; it’s really nice now!) The lions are fenced in nowadays (dumb tourists got out of the car a time or two) whereas they used to be loose ... but everything else has free range with their specified regions. Very cool indeed. 

One big-boy rhino challenged another male and it was game-on. They’re sure big!

Eventually the challenger turned his rath toward us!

Between our antenna! What a picture. 

A 300 lb bird! He looked tough!

About 3 o’clock the skies opened up and we had a two hour thunderstorm. So, it was naptime. After that, it was time to go to our community dinner. We had a huge turnout and many fantastic dishes. We took lemon cupcakes which all disappeared.  Now, it’s 830 and Mark and I are enjoying some time on the patio with a bit of ght rain. The dogs enjoyed their frosty paws for a treat. Just for our memory bank, we sat with Laurie and Terry, first timers with the club. They laughed and said it took them 5 hours to get here from Orlando! Terry is an engineer and apparently over thinks everything. Ha ha.

Regardless of the rain and standing water around this place, there are no mosquitoes.

Sue and Wayne were spending time with Tony and Aurelia tonight. Hope they took pictures! Here’s a nice one with Les, Lynne and Wayne. 

Well, that was a fun day. More tomorrow. 

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Good morning. It’s 8 o’clock and we are on our way to Lion Country Safari in South Florida. We’re a little early leaving at 8 o’clock, but we’re ready, so we might as well get going. It’s a sticky day at 78° already. We are forecast to be 90° here and I’ll bet even hotter down south. (Nope. It’s cloudy so a little cooler!)

we are in site 96 off elephant walk. 


Dawn is working this weekend otherwise I think they would have joined us for the trip.

Driving along I-95 ... we’d forgotten about 6 lanes of traffic. Ha! These are busier in this part of Florida. It’s nice to see the Sea Grape trees. At Southern Boulevard we saw our first pan handler! Haven’t missed seeing them. We saw Trump’s plane at PBA. 

Lion Country Safari has changed a lot since I was here last, decades ago. This is their 50th anniversary year. Mom and I were here in the 1980s! We drove here in dad‘s old red Ford station wagon that he used for renovating the condos. I’m not sure why we didn’t take the new vehicle, but whatever. It got us here and we toured around it. It’s kind of a funny memory because it was just mom and I that went whereas usually it would have been a whole car load of family. Mark and I will take a drive through the Safari area probably tomorrow morning. 

Tonight we went to dinner with Karen, Pete and grandson Peyton. 17 RVers met at Carrabba’s ... good service and very good food. Afterward Peyton wanted ice cream and Pete patiently drove around looking for Rita’s ... with lousy GPS directions. Ha! It was a fun time. 

Back at the campground we watched TV with the Scotties.