Sunday January 31, 2021

Good evening y’all. It’s been a lovely day here with rain moving in tonight. 

LaDonna and Wayne came over for a visit at 10 ... he was stir-crazy sitting about the house after shoulder surgery. They’re both good ... just needed a bit of company. 

We had intentions of boating today but just frittered the afternoon away ... then it got windy! We saw Lynn walking Ozzie ... she seems excited about moving in March. She’s done well not making huge changes this first year without Lew. When Mark and I have front porch sitting time we think of him trotting over with his glass of wine in hand. Soon it’ll be a year he’s gone. 

It’s the last day of January! My birthday month begins tomorrow ... high hopes for a good one! 

Saturday, January 30, 2021

Good morning. As I sit enjoying my coffee in the living room, the sun is streaming in through my crystals and making colorful rainbow prisms on the yellow walls. It’s a beautiful January day here in Central Florida.

Mark has just come in from walking the dogs, and BeeZee is excited to sit with me. I must get the details, she must’ve come across something to bark at. 😂 Yesterday, we heard that our friends Pat and Ken are not keeping Murphy, the five year old English Springer spaniel. 🤔 They have only had him for two weeks. Murphy doesn’t trust apparently and has drawn blood on both of them. He seems a lovely dog, but unfortunately, they are not the folks willing to work through his fears. We would love to adopt him, but we will have to pass. Two dogs are plenty enough expense for us. Murphy is going back to his original home. It might be better for him to go to springer rescue where he will get evaluated and rehabilitated. I’ll make the suggestion. 

This painting is still being worked on. But for the moment, it is being hung in the living room so we can look at it and see if it wants anything else.

Under review  ... 

While Mark was working on his hunting gear, I did an art journal page. It is a mock up of a future painting. This is just a rough draft.

I would move to figure to the left, in front of the window. And of course the interior wallpaper would be quite different. Anyway, it’s an idea.

It’s just 69°F but we enjoyed a nice happy hour on the front porch. Our neighbor Jim came over with a late Christmas present for us. One is a carved Scottie from quarts, and the other is a brass door knocker a Scottish Terriers. What a surprise that was.

Friday, January 29, 2021

Good morning. The dogs and I were up at 5o’clock, started a fire in the living room and just enjoyed listening to the crackling wood. When Mark got up at 7:30, he added another log and we had coffee. That’s the way to start a chilly morning. Yes, it got down to 39°F overnight. That is chilly for Central Florida. it’s going on 10 o’clock and it’s about 50 and lovely and sunny.

We have absolutely no plans today. That’s what COVID-19 does to your social life. It knocks it, right out of existence. But hey, we are happy at home and we have everything we need. We are fortunate indeed.

It was YaYa’s happy hour on Zoom with a dozen of friends. Lots of laughs. Most have gotten their vaccinations already with several getting the 2nd dose next week. 

Our neighbor Lynn bought a house and will be moving on in March. Her home will go up for sale shortly. I guess there are too many memories of Lew. They were our first friends in this neighborhood. Oh well ... 

We enjoyed another fire tonight ... just us and the Scotties. 

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Good evening y’all ... Mark and friend Bob spent the morning tidying up their tree stands. It was great weather in the 60’s with a north wind. 

Me? After the general cleanup chores I puttered with collage affirmation cards, part of the art course. They’re fiddly 2” bits of watercolor art over the collage layer. Fun. Once they’re varnished I’ll post a picture. 😜

At 4 o’clock we took the dogs for a ride on the Caddy. There were loads of Ibis around the yards ... and Robbie yipped at them. 😂

Tonight is a full moon ... the wolf moon! It’s going to be clear tonight! 

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Good evening. It’s now 730 and raining in Central Florida. Lovely. We had a day in the 80s and now a front has moved through and we are expecting to be in the 60s overnight. That’s the way it is here in Central Florida in the winter. It’s lovely.

Mark worked on waxing one side of the RV while I went to the dentist to get two crowns cemented on. The dentist had a hell of a time getting the temporaries off. He had to get the drill out! Yikes! I was at least an hour in the chair well they tried to loosen the temporary crowns. Anyway, everything turned out great and they are a perfect fit.

Our friend Waynoe had shoulder surgery today and wasn’t able to get his medication on time. Anyway, I ran over with a package for him, and had a quick visit. He was sporting the white kneehighs, did a little dance, and was wiggling his arm around which had a nerve block. I’m pretty sure he will be sore tomorrow, but today he was on top of the world. LOL. LaDonna is being a great nurse, and was trying to put an ice pack on him. 😅

At Markymark and Lani ‘s, the tree trimmers have finished. They took down several major trees that were overgrown and threatening the property. Everything looks great now, and we are so thrilled that the place is looking great. The cable and Wi-Fi has been moved over to the house, so they will be moving in shortly. 

We FaceTimed Rick and Ruth tonight, but only Rick was home. Ruth was out walking with her friends. Rick was in the midst of baking two apple pies which resulted in a discussion on great apples. I mentioned the Macoun ... and resultant honey crisp which are delicious. We had a few laughs and I told him about the dream of him setting up a lovely round table with red roses for he and Ruth. That gave him a good laugh.

We had happy hour on the front porch before Mark cooked us Caesar salad and chicken for dinner. It was a great day! 

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Good morning. Well, I’m certainly wide awake after that. Ms. B wanted out at 6:30 and while at the alarm panel, disarming it, I accidentally hit the panic button. It is well named. In a dark room with sirens wailing, BeeZee and I danced around trying to figure out how to shut it off. Turns out, you have to put in the code again. Oh boy, the whole neighborhood is wide awake now. 😳 Ha ha 

It’s now 12 hours later ... a busy day! Our friends Pat and Ken popped over to return a dog brush they had borrowed and had a glass of wine and beer. Randy and Dawn came over about the same time with a pot of beef barley soup for us and returned our big electric roaster. Apparently their roast came out very well and everyone enjoyed it. 💕

Here’s my painting of the wild companion for the life book series. It was fun to do, and I’m happy with the results. I posted it today and received compliments from the teacher. 💕 

It was pretty noisy in our neighborhood as Markymark had tree trimmers working all day. They will be back tomorrow as they have a huge tree to remove in his backyard. While all this was going on Mark was polishing the back of the RV and the front cap. More fun scheduled for tomorrow. 😂

Actually, tomorrow I get my two crowns cemented on. All the dental work has been done, so it should be easy peasy.

That’s it for today.

Monday, January 25, 2021

Good afternoon sunshine and 80F ... it’s a bright, beautiful sunshiny one here in Central Florida. 

Mark ran the errands this morning after washing all 3 vehicles! Wow! He really had a good night’s sleep. 😜

After the general chores I started on week 5 of the artsy course. It’s terrific! I’m enjoying and learning at the same time!  The artist, lovely and hardworking wasn’t my style ... so I did the class my way. (Picture tomorrow.)

At 4 we took the kids for a half hour ride on The Caddy  ... just a splendid day! Then it was front porch happy hour. Life is pretty darn good. 

Sue and Wayne took the dogs for breakfast today ... 

at Galuppi’s. Where’s SHP? I’m sure he was there, but obviously didn’t get to ride in the carriage.

It’s a big day here and American history as the Trump was impeached for a second time. He’s a horrible man, and we hope you will be convicted! 

And, we finally discovered exactly what that fly was on vice president Pence his head 

Bernie! 😂

Sunday, January 24, 2021

Good morning y’all... we’re invited to Bob ‘n Kim’s for an outdoor breakfast feast. Mimosas, bloody Mary’s and eggs on the grill ... it’ll be fun. It’s in the 60s now, with a high of 75 forecast.

Drinks ... scrambled eggs, bacon, hashed browns, waffles and biscuits ... lots of fun! 

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Good morning. Also Mark bought three tickets for the big lottery last night, we did not win. Someone in Michigan has a whole new upgraded set of lifestyle problems. Haha. If we have one, what would we have done with it?

At this stage of our lives, we have what we need, and it is an art to be happy with what you have and not always be looking for the next best thing. Of course a few upgrades here and there would be lovely, but I think an investment in some of the global problems would be a good start. First off, if we were to invest in the scientific minds that to bring about changes in how we live our daily lives in a way that would help the climate, that could be a good investment. Not a personal investment, but as an investment for our planet. Being a philanthropist must be a wonderful thing. I guess we’d jump on Bill Gates’ ideas. Preserving land for our wildlife would be high on our list. Of course, family and friends would have a benefit, but not to go out and buy goofy stuff that’s only going to add to the problems of the world. Stipulations could be made. Oh well, we don’t have to think about this.

We have some light rain today in Central Florida. It’s rather gray and dull, so one for relaxing about the house and me, finishing a huge painting I started a month ago. We’re going to put the rig in it’s port now and get it all put away. Our next little trip is for a few nights at grand Lake in Citra Florida with Wayne and LaDonna. We haven’t been there before, but they raved about it ... especially the fact that they could set up their barbecue and picnic table and whatever in the included shed if it was inclement weather. LaDonna and I would love to paint and that would protect us from the sun etc.

Happy Saturday everyone! ❤️

Friday, January 22, 2021

Good evening. It’s been a busy day around here, but since it’s COVID-19, it’s all rather mundane. 🤷‍♀️. I did the housekeeping today while Mark went to Lowe’s for some wood. He discovered yesterday that the roller on the bed slide was off the track. When he investigated, it had been put together with staples, for heaven sake‘s. So, he went and got the proper supplies and rebuilt it ... what a talented guy. He said it was very awkward, working in that tight space. 

Tomorrow, we will park the rig and take a couple of days off.

This afternoon I was on Zoom with the YaYa girls. There are nine or 10 of us that get online on Fridays, chat it up and play a game. It’s nice to keep in touch as this darn virus goes into year two. 

There is much going on, everything is status quo, and with Trump gone, no big panic in the news. Lovely. Tata, enjoy your evening. 

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Good afternoon. It is a bright beautiful sunshiny day here in Central Florida. Mark has been working on the RV waxing pretty much all day. Randy and Dawn came over to borrow our big electric roaster for cooking a birthday dinner for son Brandon. It was great to see them, we had about an hour’s visit. 

I’ve been working on my watercolor skills, or lack there of. Ha ha. It’s pretty tricky. But, very relaxing.

These two paintings were done with acrylic on canvas Panel.

Gypsy Lady was done practicing my fabric technique on her scarf. 

Rio de Janiero Girl was done mixing various skin colors with cadmium red light, and cadmium yellow medium and ivory black. Meh, I’ll get better. 

We had happy hour on the front porch before it got too cool to enjoy. All in all it was a good day. 

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Good afternoon y’all ... the inauguration of our 46th president is a great relief to the entire world. 

We watched President Joe Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden along with Vice President Kamala Harris and First Gentleman Doug Emhoff  with hope and pride today as they took center stage at the Capitol where two weeks ago there was a coup attempt. It was a beautiful ceremony. 

Mark worked on the rig today, washing and waxing it. I had laundry duties, tidy up and then finished two small paintings. I will post a picture tomorrow after they are dried and sealed.

Tonight, Sue and Wayne are off to the yacht club for a patio dinner. Mark and I are going to Pat and Ken’s for an inauguration get together on their lanai.

So, tonight we had a pretty darn good time. There at the party was Nancy, Mary, of course Pat and Ken, Deenna and Eddie, Nancy and Dick. Lani and Markymark arrived well into the party as Lani had been working today. Markymark tried to tell a story, about 2 1/2 drinks into the party, about his woes with a failed appointment for fingerprinting. Anyway, he ended up storming off mad and going home. This disrupted the party for a few minutes, but we got over it and carried on. Finally about 1130 we headed home. What the hell, you don’t bring a serious gripe into a party that’s well underway celebrating and inauguration of our new president. Get a grip dude. 😠

So Pat and Ken have adopted a new dog called Murphy. He is a five-year-old English Springer spaniel ‘s. His home life has been destructive as he will not except a newborn baby in the family. At this point it’s dubious whether or not he will work in with them. If not, perhaps Mark and I might try it. We love English Springer spaniel ‘s, and wonder if he might get along with our Scotties. 

So that’s it for tonight. It’s been a great day. Tata till tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Good morning. It’s a bright beautiful sunshiny day with a high forecast in the 70s. It’s nice to be home to Central Florida.

Today is trumps last day in office. I’m sure he will manage to do some damage, as that seems to be his mission before exiting the White House tomorrow. He’s broken with tradition everywhere, including the first lady refusing the tradition of showing Mrs. Biden the White House living quarters. So trivial. 

Tomorrow, Pat and Ken are having a small group on their lanai to celebrate Joe Biden‘s inauguration. What an uphill battle the president is going to face in the next few months. First on the agenda, dealing with the major COVID-19 vaccine mess. Anyway, we have high hopes! 

Mark’s mechanic arrived today to replace the fuel pump in Da Mounty. The entire gas tank must be dropped to get to it. Ca-ching! 

Me? I did the five loads of laundry yesterday and Mark carried it back to the RV today. I will put things away before he begins washing and waxing the rig. Busy busy.

My new lesson in the art course is up today and I am making a air dried clay pot. We shall see, I have never done anything like this. Of course a face has to be painted on it and other decor. Nothing ventured nothing gained, right. The teacher, from Queensland Australia 🇦🇺 said to cut my nails short for this project!? 😱 Not going to happen ... 🤣

Tonight at happy hour, Mark and I were sitting on the front porch when Markymark came over for a visit. He had waited five years for his appointment with immigration. He was there at 8:30 this morning for his 9 o’clock appointment and found the office closed. No notice on the door, hundreds of people waiting and no one answering the phones. What the hell? Joe Biden has a lot of work to do.

Lani eventually arrived and had a couple of drinks with us. They sit outside our screen room, social distancing. Fun! 

Tonight, we watched the news of over 401000 deaths to COVID-19 in our country. This is the last full day of Donald Trump. Let’s hope we turn a corner with the new administration.

Monday, January 18, 2021

Good afternoon sunshine! Ohhhh are we happy to see the sun! We had cloudy dreary days in Tampa at the RV park. We had a wonderful time, but we are not used to several days in a row of clouds.

This was the first trip we had in our our RV in three months. Last night we sat out till 11 o’clock enjoying a fire at Wayne and LaDonna‘s rig, and watching two football games. Now I am not a fan of watching the football, but I tried my best to be somewhat interested. Anyway, she had made a pot of chili and a delicious butternut squash soup. It was lovely. 

We were up and packed up and ready for the road at 10 o’clock. The first excitement of our ride home was when we thought we had lost a tire. Now that may sound strange, but it has happened to us before. Anyway, after pulling over and having a look, all the tires were OK. We were mystified until Mark remembered he had put the fire ring face down in the bed of the truck as it was wet and dirty when he put it away. Well, it was missing. it had become airborne and flew out of the bed. The last we saw that it was rolling into the ditch. Fortunately, it didn’t hit anyone. That could’ve been a bad accident.

Next incident was when we got home and Mark went in to grab the first load of laundry for me. I had neglected to strap the bathroom door into its closed position. And, of course it came off its track. Mark said no damage, but just another thing we need to remedy. 

Sunday January 17, 2021

Good evening y’all. It’s just us and the L’s left camping tonight. LaDonna and I painted this afternoon while the guys cruised in the golf cart and tidied the RV basements.  

There are 2 football games tonight so dinner was at L’s rig to sit fireside and watch their patio TV. 

All the hubbub wore Mark out. Haha! 

Saturday January 16, 2021

Good morning y’all. We both slept soundly last night! Rare, right? Even Mz Bee! Tonight we’re going to cook steaks as a group and eat together. It’ll all be outside, due to COVID19. And that’s how we have to roll during this pandemic. 

If you’ve been following USA news you’ll know there’s another insurrection brewing, so stay home and stay safe. It’s a scary time in our newly found banana republic. Shame. 

We had a fun happy hour with Sue, Wayne, Mark and me plus LaDonna and Wayno. It was pretty chilly outside so Mark had the fire going and we kept dodging the smoke and ashes. Sue and Wayne brought a baked brie cheese with dippers. It was delicious. They went home to cook their steaks as it was too cold to eat outside on the picnic table. We never heard from Diane, guessing they were busy with company. After we had all eaten dinner, LaDonna, Wayno and I went to visit Sue and Wayne at their rig. Mark walked the dogs and then went in to watch the Buffalo Bills football game. We came to pick him up after and did a ride through the RV park, looking for friends.

It’s now after 9 o’clock, we are all settled down and ready for a quiet night. It has been fun to have lots of company around this weekend.

Friday, January 15, 2021

Good morning. The evening got away on us and I was unable to post the pictures that Sue took around the fire. We sure had a fun time, many stories and many laughs.

Wayne, LaDonna, me, Mark and Wayne

Kris and Diane

Wayne & Sue 

It was a beautiful evening, drop down into the 50s but was lovely and warm by the fire. We sat out there till nearly 11 o’clock.

It took us a while to find Diane and Kris’s  rig yesterday in the campground. Wayno had a good idea and we checked with the front office to get what number campground they are in. That helped, and we found them when I spotted Wayne visiting over there. 

They have an outdoor kitchen, nice size bathroom, U-shaped dinette, and a sofa that folds down and a Murphy bed pulls over it. They are having fun, and had a lot of stories to tell. Poor Kris was trying to back it into a site with the sway bar still attached. Well, he found out that didn’t work too well. There were many laughs over that story.

They bought a nice Dodge Longhorn diesel for towing it. They have plenty of power when they decide to upgrade. They went to the RV show today, and Mark and I are betting they find something they like their although they say they are not looking. LOL. We know how that goes.

This afternoon we borrowed Wayno’s golf cart and took the kids for a ride around the RV park. It’s a big place; rigs of all shapes and sizes here. It’s busy with the Tampa RV show going on. 

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Good evening. I am a little late starting the blog today. We left home at 10:30 and are now at LazyDays RV in Tampa. Sue and Wayne are here plus Wayne and LaDonna and we just found where Diane and Kris parked. It is Diane and Kris’s first trip with their new tow behind camper. We hope they will enjoy themselves.

Some of the campers here will be going to the big Tampa RV show tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Good morning. Mark slept in till 730 and me 830. It’s a cool morning with a high of 59 forecast for today. Robbie and BeeZee wouldn’t even go out this morning. Ha ha. They were happy to sit on the sofa with a warm blanket. Now don’t feel sorry for them, the house is 70°. 😂

The news this morning is all about the second impeachment of Donald J Trump. It’s difficult to hear the opposition say more evidence needs to come in on the coup at the Capital. Thank goodness the media was present and got on the ground videos. It is hard to watch, but shows the intensity and intent of the crowd.

Well, well, well ... 231 to 197 Donald J. Trump made history! He’s the first President to be IMPEACHED TWICE.  

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Good afternoon. Happy anniversary to Sue and Wayne! Best wishes for another happy and healthy year of marital bliss. 🍾🥂

I was so rattled yesterday by that watercolor painting I was doing for week three of my class. Yesterday I was ready to throw it in the garbage and start over again. Actually, I got up this morning and finished the original one and tossed out my second attempt. Ha ha. That’s what having a good nights sleep is all about.

We had plans for tomorrow to use the boat and go to hurricanes with Bob and Kim. However, they have had to postpone as her stepfather passed away, the house is sold, and they have to get it emptied. As if that isn’t stressful enough, it’s located on the east coast in Titusville. Things are selling very quickly.

The Mountie hasn’t been running for a few weeks now. The mobile mechanic came today and did a thorough testing on it. It is the fuel pump as Mark had suggested. It is in a bad location where you have to drop the fuel tank to get to it. Anyway, parts are not that expensive but labor is going to be. Next Tuesday he will be back to do the repairs. He tested the engine and it’s solid. It has a new radiator and tires as of last year. In for a penny ... in for a pound as they say.

Monday, January 11, 2021

Good morning sunshine! It’s Monday ... a fresh week to be who you want to be; well, at home. 😂 I was up at 6 o’clock drinking coffee and watching this week’s art lesson. It’s a doozy! (I wondered why ONLY 1 lesson this week ... and yeah, it should keep be occupied and learning new techniques!) I’m delighted to be a student ... something to look forward to each Monday. 

Mark will be venturing out to Walmart and WinnDixie for shopping today. We have a 4 night RV trip planned with friends and family this weekend. Fun ... a change of walls. 😂

So I really have nothing to show for my day of painting. I did the sample session, and it looks good. When it came to getting the water colors on the paper, they didn’t absorb as nicely as I thought they should. Possibly I need better quality watercolor paper. I have to admit, I did go for quantity rather than quality. OMG, my bad. Anyway, I shall try again tomorrow.

After dinner we went for a little walk with the dogs and chatted with Pat and Ken who live at the end of our street. They are very distressed over the election and the goings-on in our country. Afterwards, Mark and I had wine on the front porch and enjoyed the propane fire.

It’s quite beautiful sitting out this evening, in the mid-60s. 

Tomorrow, more of the same, plus loading up the RV for our little camp out.

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Good morning. It’s still very early but the sun is peeking in the living room window already. It’s going to be a lovely day with a high in the 60s. 

It was a regular (Covid-19) type of day. Mark puttered about then made a venison meatloaf for dinner. There was football to watch so he was happy. 

Me? I worked on the huge painting ... got quite a bit of paint on there; pleased with my progress. I’ll give ya a sneak peek but it’s far from done. 

We went for a long ride on the Caddy with the kids today. It was a tad chilly, about 65. There are still trump flags ‘n signs about the ‘hood. Two more insurrections are scheduled ... info posted below. Let’s hope our military and national guard are ready to defend democracy. 

SO ... be aware, stay home. We watched “All Creatures Great and Small” on Masterpiece (PBS). It’s based on the books by James Herriot. Wonderful, light-hearted fun. That’s it for tonight.