Saturday, November 30, 2019

The weather outside is delightful but to me, it’s downright frightful 🎶 ... ragweed pollen is in the air. 🤧 

Mark’s out hunting with Lew and Benn this morning. They saw several does. Lew wanted to confront the dog hunters for illegally driving down the jeep trails! Bad idea, Lewey. Mark stopped him! Oh boy. 

Cousin Alex and his wife Jordan (from Scotland) is coming to visit us mid-December. They’re so busy with her Florida family they’ll stay just 1 night with us. It’ll be fun to see him again. 

It was so beautiful this afternoon, 80°, so we took the dogs and went for an afternoon boat ride.

No wind, just lovely! 

Mark suggested I wear a bandanna for the ragweed allergy. Ha! 

Scary? Or improvement? 😜 Mz BeeZee didn’t care, she sat with me. (I think it helped, maybe a professional mask during ragweed season would be an idea.)

Friday, November 29, 2019

Good afternoon sunshine! Mark was up early and off to move a tree stand at 5 a.m.  It wasn’t long til I was up too. 🙄 I really thought I’d sleep in for a change. 

I can imagine Dawn is tired today having to work at 8:30. 

Tonight’s plans are to meet the K’s for Eustis Light Up and walk around downtown!

Well, downtown was very busy. We met at the wine bar Uncorked and had a glass of wine before walking around. The lights were beautiful and there was live music going on. We were taking a selfie in front of the big tree when a nice lady suggested she take the picture for us. Well, this is it  ...

🙄 

After walking around for a bit we ended up at Del Sol Mexico for more wine and a picture for Rick M.

😂 We’re right around the corner from your apartment Rick. 

Back home by 9:15, it’s time for some TV and relaxing. 

T H A N K S G I V I N G 2019

Happy Thanksgiving y’all ... it’s a lovely day in the neighborhood. 

We’re watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ... as always it’s grand. Sue came over at 11 and we made some cheddar beef dog cookies. Apparently Julius liked the cookies I brought over, so that got Sue motivated to bake some with me. They’re so easy ... 

Butter the cookie sheets, drop by spoon onto the baking sheets and bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes. 

Randy & Dawn came over about 230 for cocktails before we went to the Crazy Gator for Thanksgiving dinner. Dawn‘s children and teo grandchildren joined us for dinner! It was an unexpected surprise!  

We had fun! 

Charlotte is so interactive with everyone; a real charmer. 

 

Charlotte, Dawn and Makenna having fun. 

Charlotte gave Wayne a math test! (Luckily he passed.) 😜

The pretty sunset over Lake Eustis. 

It was a grand day ... lots of fun. Hope y’all had a great day too. 🥰

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Good afternoon. Actually, it’s evening. I had a problem with the blog loading today, it said “cleaning.” WTH? I’ve been cleaning. Ha!

This afternoon Wayne came for a visit and brought the dishes Aurelia sent us. Yay ... they are so pretty! 

Thank you Aurelia and Tony! We’ll enjoy them. 

Mark puttered around the property doing little jobs and checking on Marky-Mark’s places. 

Randy and Dawn had a fun afternoon taking Makenna  and Charlotte to the movies. They saw Malificent at The Villages. 

Wayne and Sue were looking forward to a quiet TV evening in their coach. (The weather is beautiful ... a good chance for them to sit out with the doggies!) 

Lew and Lynn joined us on the front porch for happy hour! It was fun. 

Ta ta til Thanksgiving Day. 

 

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Good afternoon. It’s been a busy day around here. Yes, Mark began his at 4 AM with a trip to the forest. Today it was just he and Bob who went. They were home just before noon having seen a few deer.

I did bookwork today and got Christmas gifts ordered and in general got things organized for December. Yay me! 🎅🏼 

This afternoon, we had our annual doctor wellness check ups. Overall everything was good, but Mark has to take extra Pravastan for his high cholesterol. That runs on his side of the family. 

Tonight, Sue and Wayne are hosting a cookout. It’s going down to 63 by 8 o’clock so we may not be outside for too long. Diane, Kris, Randy and Mark and I will be there. Poor Dawn is still at work. 

The turkey burgers were delicious. They were butterball, and we will have to get some of those. Yum yum. Diane and Kris surprised us by saying they had bought another motorhome, a 28 foot. Congratulations! We’re surprised. 

Monday, November 25, 2019

Good morning. Well I was up early enough but 2 cups of coffee later and it’s nearly 10 o’clock. What the heck, yes I have accomplished a few chores and Mark is going to Home Depot for his daily shopping experience.

Sue is coming over for lunch and leaving Wayne to dog sit. Actually, he will probably enjoy a little nap or catch up on phone calls. So we shopped at Tractor  Supply and then Hobby Lobby. Sue wanted to go to TS  yet I found two things there. Ha ha. At HL

I was able to pick up the big canvas I wanted and it was on sale for 50% off. Sweet. 

Tonight, we met Sue, Wayne and Randy at O’Keefes pub for dinner. The food was very good, and we had a great time.

We missed Dawn, as she was at work. 😉

There was a beautiful sunset when we were coming in, over Lake Dora.

Beautiful. It was a nice cool day. 

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Good morning. The dogs and I are sitting on the front porch watching a woodpecker drill into our big sycamore tree. That poor tree has a case of scale. Mark has tried treating it two years in a row but, it doesn’t seem to have cured it. The only other method is to have it sprayed right when it leaf buds in early spring. If that doesn’t work, we’re going to lose our nicest tree in the front yard. Sad. 

We had a lot of shopping to do today so headed out to begin. The stores were very busy, usual for the week of Thanksgiving. The surrounding RV parks are full of snowbirds here for the holidays! 

While Mark was laying down the new 9 x 12 area carpet on the back patio, I started writing Christmas cards. Now, it’s time to cook some food for the doggies. We’re going to visit Susan & Wayne for happy hour today. 

Why oh why didn’t I take a picture of the new K kids. Chiki and Mimi are very cute ... and they get along so well with Julius and Shorty. Sue rustled up some chicken and potato salad for dinner. It was a fun visit. 

A cold front is moving in and we are going to have just a fabulous week of cool weather.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Good morning. Yes, Mark is going to the woods with his pals. He sure enjoys tromping around there. 

Lew shot a pointer today ... just legal. The guys took the deer to Scraps for processing; sad but just. Meat for the hunters. 

Me? Well I have a few chores to do and a few extra as I offered to do Mark’s vacuuming as he worked so hard extending the patio the last two days. 😍 By the time he got home at 1 o’clock I was ready to relax. 

Tonight we met Karen, Pete, Randy, Dawn, Wayne and LaDonna at Tilly’s for dinner. There was a huge car show going on in downtown Eustis and we were lucky to get a table for dinner. Actually, it was a high-top in the bar area. Perfect! 

The ice skating is set up for the festive season ... hmm, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me! 😉

Sue and Wayne arrived at Fishermen‘s Cove just before dark. Good timing. I asked them to join us, but of course they would be busy setting up. I bet they’re going to enjoy these cool mornings that are forecast for this week. 

Friday, November 22, 2019

Good evening all y’all. 😜 Somehow, the day has gotten away on us. Mark made two trips to the yard stop to pick up Chattahoochee stone and finished the expansion of the stone patio. Whatta great guy! ❤️

Me? Well I started writing Christmas cards and painted a small picture during laundry and chores. 

It’s 90% done ... needs to thoroughly dry before I put the last touches on. 😜 

Expanded! A new patio carpet 9x12 is on order to cover the entrance way. (The carpet to the right is only 6x9) It’s epic ... much nicer for our upcoming parties. 

Dawn told us about a Netflix show Ozark and we’re hooked! Wowsa. Great show to binge watch. Ta ta til tomorrow. 😅

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Good morning y’all. Well it started off just dandy til I started the fire and the big screen tipped over cutting my shin. Damn that hurt. Some polysporin and ice helped. 

Last night was fun. Lew and Lynn treated us to dinner at City Fire in Brownwood. Our friend Alan Darcy was playing from 7-10. 

The pot roast dinner was the best! Lynn and I enjoyed that! Lew had a Reuben open-face on flat bread that he really liked ... Mark had chicken with black beans and rice. 

Today is Rod and Shay’s 29th wedding anniversary. We phoned and sang, not well though. 😂They're going out to dinner tonight to a place called the watering hole. I think we were there before. 

Mark began working on our stone patio expansion. 

Today he picked up a load of paver sand, moved it and packed it. Tomorrow, a load of Chattahoochee stones will finish the task. 🥰

Pam is in Hawaii for daughter Christine’s wedding! Here’s the happy couple at the rehearsal today ...

Chase and Christine ... ❤️

 

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Good afternoon. It’s been a hectic day, and it’s only 2 o’clock. Ha ha. Mark left for the Woods at 5:15 which leaves me with more chores than normal. I managed to get everything done and picked up Rose, Cheri and Alice for today’s luncheon at O’Keefe’s Irish in Tavares. The food was fantastic, everyone was pleased. We all had a good gab session and talked about how we could get more neighbors involved.

When I got home at 2 o’clock, I had two eBay sales so got those wrapped and ready for the post office. 

Tonight, we are going out for dinner with Lew and Lyn to see Alan Darcy play in The Villages. 

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Catchy title. Heeheehee. Mark and I went for blood work today before going to breakfast at Jeannie’s. My doctor coded the bloodwork wrong and it would have cost me $315 not covered by insurance. So, I just had the test that was paid for. Mark’s were coded correctly. 🤷‍♀️ (Doc was checking my ‘normal’ readings.) Afterward, we went for Denver omelettes. Delicious!

Back home, Robs and Bee had rawhides while I began a small painting. Mark started the patio expansion project. 😅

Monday November 18, 2019

Good morning. I was up at seven, mostly just drinking coffee but also tidying up from last nights party. 

Pete looks like he’s wearing quite the amazing hat. Ha ha ha. Who does he think he is, Johnny Carson? The chicken tortilla soup was fantastic, kudos to Mark. He pulled it all together. LaDonna brought corn muffins Dawn brought bean dip and Karen brought sliders. It was an epic dinner with lots of laughs. 

We bundled up and sat around the fire pit, ate dessert and had more drinkies. There’s always a story being told in this group. 🥰

Randy’s checking out pictures on Wayno’s phone. 

Pete just being Petey. Antlers perhaps? 

LaDonna loved the swinging chair! 

It was a blast. 😅 Today, we tidied up the house and relaxed. It was a cool day so had the fireplace going and a couple of pretty good naps. Tomorrow, we get our annual blood work done and then go for breakfast. 

Ta ta. 

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Good early morning! Even with the new sinus meds I’ve developed the sinusitis cough. I don’t feel bad but can’t sleep because of it. 🤷‍♀️ (I slept fine in the recliner though!) 

It’s 53F today ... perfect for an early evening bonfire. At 5:30 the gang arrives ... then it’s cocktails and appetizers in the living room. After dinner we’ll head outback with a bonfire and have a few more cocktails.  

I baked my popular triple chocolate cake for dessert! Hope we have room for it after all the bean dip, popcorn, Mexican Tortilla soup, cornbread muffins, sliders and what-not. 😉

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Good morning. It’s a gorgeous cool start to our day. Yippee.  Mark and Bob and Lew are off hunting this morning. They are sure into it to be up and out by 515 on a cool day. How cool is it? 54F ... with highs in the 60s. 

My job today is to set up my artsy-fartsy room for oil painting! It’s been a few years since I pulled my brushes out. 🎨  (that was all accomplished by 3 o’clock at I was ready for a little siesta with the doggies on the sofa.) Schweeet. 

Mz Chiki has taken to guarding the toybox at K’s house!

What a cutie ... we’re looking forward to meeting the new additions over Thanksgiving. 

It’s now 630, we’ve had dinner, fed the dogs, baked 48 cheddar ‘n beef bisscuits for the kids and baked a triple chocolate Bundt cake for tomorrow’s dinner party. We’re whipped! Hahahaha

There are quite a few community events coming up, including renewing our dues. With that done, we’re ready for the month of December already. Our saxophone entertainer friend will be playing at the homeowners association Christmas party. 

That’s it for tonight. 

Friday, November 15, 2019

It was nice to wake to rain this morning. Our plans today are housekeeping and grocery shopping. Perfect.

After all the dusting and vacuuming, I started baking pumpkin applesauce cookies for Robbie and BeeZee. (They sure smell delicious!) Mark was happy to head to the grocery store with a big list. 

While Mark and I were away in North Carolina, Pam attended daughter Christine’s wedding shower in Valdosta, Georgia. (Pam said Valdosta is a beautiful area.)

Very posh! Nice picture of Christine and Pam. ❤️

After all our work today we treated ourselves to dinner at Stavros where we were greeted by Connor! He brought us wine while we were waiting for a table. Haha. A lot of heads swiveled. Ha. After dinner, I needed a couple of things at Dollar Tree nearby. Our friend Rick M. is wintering in a dubious area of Mexico. (Mark and I are not fans of that country at all.) Anyway, some background on Rick’s story from his blog ...

Well Mark tried this on for size tonight in the store. 🙄 

How’d he do? (Bad humor I know, but I had to laugh!) When I sent the pic to Rick he replied immediately ... 

start singing buddy. 😂 

Well that’s it for today. 

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Good morning! Mark whipped up shrimp ‘n eggs for our breakfast while I fed the kids. It’s a bit cloudy this morning, with another warm front moving in. Never mind that, we’re going to have a nice cool weekend with time for a bonfire in that great fire pit from Diane and Kris last winter! 

I’m feeling pretty good my Christmas decorating is 80% done. 😇 There are always tables and such to be decorated but the majority is out and I’m happy with the results. (Mark needs to get his lights up on the outside.) 🎄

This afternoon I am seeing the ear nose and throat specialist about my winter allergies. My year-round allergies are under control during spring and summer but when the humidity drops in autumn and winter, my sinuses go wacky. Fortunately, he talked me into making this appointment for mid November when my symptoms generally begin. Yup, they’ve begun. I have the raspy voice, itchy eyes and a dizzy feeling when I lay my head down. Fun stuff! Hey, if that’s my only complaint at this point of life I am doing amazingly well. 

This weekend we are having a few friends over for chicken tortilla soup. It’s our old friend Charles‘s recipe from Louisiana. He’s long gone now, but never forgotten. Randy and Dawn are joining our RV group of friends, Karen & Pete, Wayne & LaDonna. After dinner, we’re going to have a bonfire as it’s dropping down into the 50s. 

It was Scottie grooming day at our house! Mark does a good job  ... but Robbie is a fuss budget. When I left for the doctor, they were ready for baths. 

I guess ragweed is the allergy of the month here in Florida. By the sound of my voice today I am affected by ragweed. Who knew? Anyway, the doctor recommended a new nasal spray which I will pick up tomorrow at Walgreens.

After all the haircuts and grooming today the kids look fantastic. They sat so nicely for me beside the living room Christmas tree. What great Scotties 😍

Robbie and BeeZee are feeling good ... haircuts, baths and combing 💕 ... thanks Marky. 

We had a couple rounds of wine and watch the Steelers and the Browns football game. That’s it for tonight. Tata

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Hey there! It’s 4:30 and we’re late for Happy Hour! Whatttt? 🤨 Tis the season for decorating and entertaining! Well, that was MY task. 

Mark left home early for the forest. It was a perfect morning in the woods where it was 52! He and Bob had a great time. They didn’t get back until 1:30 ... then Mark was off to his monthly tuneup at the chiropractor. 

Surprise surprise today as we saw Diane & Kris have officially listed their 5 ⭐️ fish camp, Georgia Boys, for sale. It’s a busy place ... a real money-maker. Maybe a northerner will make the move south for a great retirement. 

Tonight we met RanDawn at Tiki West for date night. It was quiet when we first arrived at 5:30 ... and packed by 7 o’clock. We had a fun night catching up on their antics in Charleston. (Dawn DOES LIKE SWEETS ... especially chocolate chip cookies!) She’s on surveillance camera raiding the hotel’s cookie jar. 😂

We’re home now to watch the CMAwards. 

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Good evening y’all. It’s been a busy one here. It was game day at Rose’s. It was sunny and breezy playing 10,000 on her screened porch. Unfortunately, Cheri’s husband passed away over the weekend after complications from infection. He’d been ill since knee replacement surgery 2 years ago. She came to game day and was happy for some company. 

While I was at Rose’s, Mark zero-scaped the Mexican petunias by our big oak tree. With cool weather moving in we’re planning a bonfire on Saturday evening. 

Both Christmas trees are up and decorated ... tomorrow should finish up the odds and ends. 

I took the kids for a ride on The Caddy ... and they both barked at all the dogs that were walking! Brats. 

Monday, November 11, 2019

Good morning from sunny Central Florida where it’s in the 60s. The RV is ready to back in, and Mark is washing our KIA. It’s a great start to the day. Actually, I started my day a long long time ago! 😜

I woke up and looked at my clock which said 610. Oh well, I thought, I’ll finish that last load of laundry. I started the washer, made coffee, tidied the kitchen and watched an hour of queer eye. As I was walking through the kitchen to put the load in the dryer I spotted the clock which said it was 3:20 AM. So, I’m guessing that what I thought was 610 was actually 2:30 AM on the dial bedside clock. 🤪

The RV is parked for a month ... we’re ready to expand our Chattahoochee stone patio and decorate for the holidays! 

Mark put the Christmas music on and the house looks like a tornado blew through. Haha ... 🎅🏼 ... two big trees this year ... and lots of what-nots. 🎄 (Mark is running away to the woods tomorrow.) 😜 

Randy and Dawn are back at Folly Beach where they married three years ago!

Tomorrow, they head back to Florida. 

Now it’s wine:30. 

 

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Good morning from sunny Clermont where it’s 63° ! 😎 Mark and I went to the farewell breakfast and sat with our friends Dexter and Liz. They are off to Alabama for Thanksgiving so we won’t see them until the new year. After they left, Wayne & LaDonna joined us, and eventually Karen & Pete.  What a fabulous rally it has been. I can’t imagine the amount of work that goes into this. We had over 400 rigs attend ... which puts the people at a minimum of 800. 

So now, we’re homeward bound to tidy up and get ready for a party next Saturday. Also, today is Matt‘s 31st birthday. We shall give him a call as we drive home.  (It was great talking to Matt and hearing his plans for the next year. His brother Fred is now working at an aluminum place making railings for condos. Matt is thinking he may have more of a family life if he takes on a job like that. He’s waiting to see how it works out for Fred before making a move. As it is, with the tow truck business, he only has three actual days off a month ... and is on call all the other days. Tiffany is starting a job with Fred’s wife Michelle and hopes that will work out for a second income. Hailey has recovered from her allergy attack and starts allergy shots this week. Isabella is doing fine and has cousin Zachary over for the weekend. All in all, life is good for them. 🥰

😂 ... Yeah, Matt liked it! 

At the rally, LaDonna and Wayne got their 25th Campout flag ...

That’s them on the right. (We spent the next hour swiping it and hiding it on Wayno!) 😂 

Meanwhile, RanDawn are still celebrating their 3rd wedding anniversary. 

They found the heart garden ... 

and had lunch at the waterfront, somewhere. 🤷‍♀️

I phoned Sue ... Wayne has dentist appointments tomorrow and is still quite swollen. The bruising has changed to yellow now. Yikes. 

That’s it for today. 

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Good afternoon! It was a busy day for us both! Mark left the rig at 3 a.m. heading for home to pick up the guys for hunting! I tried to get back to sleep but 🤷‍♀️... no luck. 

After breakfast I took the kids for long golf cart rides, individually. At noon I joined LaDonna, Wayne, Georgia and Bob on a trip to the Lakeridge Winery. There was a craft show on so we shopped about and eventually bought some wine. Georgia and Bob hadn’t eaten yet and Wayne knew of a great Italiano place, Lil Antonio’s. I had a slice of their pizza of the day ... Cuban! It was good ... pickles, ham, pulled pork with a white sauce. Who knew. 

Mark arrived home at 1:30 and rested up til I arrived home at 3. We took the kids for another ride ... then got ourselves ready for 5 o’clock happy hour!  Tonight’s dinner was BBQ ... beef brisket, chicken, pulled pork, mac n cheese, corn, coleslaw, kale, corn bread and tiny desserts. It was great!!! There’s some talent involved in feeding 600 people in less than 45 minutes! 

Robbie and BeeZee visited the Corgi puppies. They’re just meeting and getting used to each other. 😅

Tonight’s entertainment was Young Guns tribute band out of Arizona! The fiddle player was insanely good! Our friend Crazy Linda danced and entertained. Oh boy. Well, she was due. 

At Lakeridge Winery ... Wayne bought LaDonna a gold bracelet. Sweet. 

Waiting to win something at the raffle ... and they did! 

Mark and I won a folding soft table that holds drinks! There were lots of great prizes plus a 50/50 raffle. It was a super evening. 

Happy 3rd Anniversary to Randy and Dawn! ❤️ Champagne 🥂 🍾  toast to many more! 

Wayne seems to have turned a corner on recovery and cooked eggs for them this morning. Sue said the swelling was coming down a bit. Good news indeed!