Derby Day ... 5/7/16

And they're off ... We're going to a Kentucky Derby party today at Pat & Ken's home. FUN! 

Who said redheads shouldn't wear pink? (My mother!) LOL

It's a gorgeous day with a high forecast of 81°. We'll take it, along with low humidity. It's been a fantastic spring! If the Kentucky Derby party is outside today, we will still be very comfortable.

Mark has been shopping to replace his leaf blower and heavy duty extension cord. Our repairs continue ... much to be done yet!

Pat's party was fun. Most of the ladies had derby hats ... and one of the guys!

Carin, sporting a fetching hat ... although it proved to be too heavy for long term wear. LOL

Even Lew enjoyed wearing a frothy hat. 

Lovely Lew. Haha. 

Pat and Ken have a nice English Springer Spaniel and are looking after Ken's mother's Boston Terrier, Zelda. 

Zelda liked Mark! I sent this picture to Randy ... he loves Boston Terriers! 

There were many delicious foods ... and our Texas Caviar was a big hit. What amazed me was the delicious ham that Pat prepared ... from Publix! Hey, I won $95 on the race pool. Yippee. 

Mark went home at 5:30 to feed and walk the kids, then came back for the big race. It was a fun day!

Sue and Wayne went to the Elks with Carol, Jack, Margie and Les for dancing. It's too bad we don't live closer. Alas. 

Back home, it was snuggles and TV with the kids. Ta Ta til tomorrow. 

Friday! Bowling! 5/6/16

Good morning. What a gorgeous day! Yes, the front door's open, birds are singing and the sun is shining! What more could one ask for? (Well, perhaps my hand could quit aching any day now!) LOL. 

Yesterday, at Yaya's, I heard about a home coming on the market soon. (It might be perfect for R 'n R!)

I phoned Jim for an update on his surgery yesterday. He was at "the cottage" keeping busy, but experiencing quite a lot of pain. Ouch! Hope it heals fast, Jim! (Here's the info on TimberKings.com for Diane & Kris ... Jim's is the castle on the cliff.)

Mark and I stopped in to the Humane Society store to drop off donations. Today, I found a couple cute items for the TV stand in the Sunroom. Since we've gone beach/nautical theme, it's easy to find a few shell items around. The ladies were very happy to have donations today as things slowed down since the snowbirds left. (If you have anything ... it's the shop on 473!) 

For a little R and R, we bowled two games today. Neither of us had fantastic games, however I think Mark was in the 170s for his second game! My hand continues to hurt. I've given it more than a month to heal, so it just needs to get over it. Ha!

Tomorrow, we're going to a Kentucky Derby party and taking Texas Caviar with Scoops. It's delicious and nutritious. Here's Mark slicing and dicing!

It's not cheap to make ... about $24-25 but oh so good. Here's the recipe ...

With dinner over, Mark went to Lowe's to pick up fence pickets for the boat House repair. I had a few things on the list as well because I decided to paint the two dark green walls in the living room. The other walls will get a touch up. 

Being Friday, it's an Ancient Aliens marathon on the History channel. So Tata til tomorrow.

Cinco de Mayo 2016

Good morning. It's certainly cooled down overnight; we're in the 60 range with the front door open! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

What is Cinco de Mayo you may ask? It's not Mexican Independence Day. How ironic is it that most people celebrating have absolutely no idea what Cinco de Mayo is all about! Ha! This holiday is more about Mexican – American traditions and the US Civil War than it is about Mexico. Our neighbors south of the border in Mexico don't celebrate it the way we do in America!

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Battle of the Puebla on May 5, 1862 when 6000 French troops attacked the small town of Pueblo de Los Angeles. The Mexicans were outgunned and outnumbered by 3 to 1 yet they defeated Napoleon's troops during this battle. Refortified French troops eventually came back to win, but their initial defeat at Puebla had a big impact here in the United States. You see, Napoleon III was supporting the Confederacy (financially motivated) ... he wanted the slaves to keep supplying French textile mills with plenty of Southern cotton. When the news of the Battle of Pueblo reached Latinos living in what is now California, it invigorated them. The local Spanish-speaking were organized to fight alongside Union forces and, many historians say, this had a big role in the union's victory in the US Civil War. Since then, Cinco De Mayo has become a celebration of Mexican American heritage and an excuse to party. LOL. So, before you dip into your bowl of guacamole, raise your margarita glass and toast those brave Mexicans who may have changed the course of not just their own country, but ours. Happy Cinco de Mayo my friends.

Today, Mark and Lew will be celebrating with a bowl of venison chili while I visit at Alice's home with my peeps. 

This afternoon, I listed several new items on eBay that I have gathered up around the house, while Mark did some work on the boathouse project. It's a gorgeous day, but very windy.

(Mark and I were up early this morning for his 845 doctor appointment. Although we had to wait more than an hour, there was good news. Mark does not need a recheck for five years on his throat. Yay!)

Ya Ya's was great fun! We drank wine, ate baked beans & pork sliders followed by pistachio card. Yum! 

Alice was a good hostess ... and her back patio was perfect for a breezy, "cool" evening.

 Afterward, Lynn and I joined Lew and Mark at home. 

Lynn ... Bamboozled by Ya Ya's. LOL. WE GALS ARE HARD PARTIERS! Sandra thought a car was parked behind her ... NOPE. LOL

Well, that's it for now. Ta Ta til tomorrow!

Rain! ... 5/4/16

Good morning from Central Florida where our weather radio woke us at 6 a.m.  Alas, the storms raced across the peninsula south of us with gusty winds and hail. This time, WE got a little rain. The Scotties and I sat on our front porch and enjoyed it all. 

By week's end we'll have nights in the 50's. Wow. Nice. 

It wasn't a very exciting day, Mark worked in the backyard, while I spring cleaned the living room and moved the furniture around. 

Fairbanks Construction arrived and sealed the roof, plus checked our other problems. They have been a very good company to deal with. Our service rep, Ernest, said he would get back to us next week.

Randy and Dawn phoned about 3 o'clock and said they were coming over for happy hour! Great, we were ready for some company today! We sat at the sunroom bar for an hour, yakked and drank wine. Mark threw Randy under the bus (ba-bump) when he mentioned the delicious apple fritters they've been eating at Race Track (gas station) on their way to Dawn's house. LOL. Dawn didn't know anything about the Apple fritters, and thought Randy was doing very well on his fitness program!!! LOL

They were behind on a couple of Blacklist shows, so Mark put one on and we all watched ... along with chips and more drinks. About 7 o'clock, we decided on Tiki West for peel and eat shrimp $10 for a pound) and fries. The Sandbar, on Lake Dora, had good live music playing. We were tempted to walk down there for another drink, but Mark has a doctor appointment early in the morning. ;-( Next time!

Tonight, we're thinking about Jim and his doctor appointment tomorrow ... we hope all goes well for him. 

That's it for tonight. I hope your Wednesday date night was good! Ta Ta. 

Slow Poke Insurance - 5/3/16

Good morning! Mark and Randy are off to Dawn's house for another day of work. I began my day, after the kids were fed, watered and walked, with a phone call to Paul Sanderson at St. John's. He said Stephanie Bembinster's fire claim report "came in overnight" and that he would review it and call me later. (Our fire was April 17; Stephanie was here April 20 ... it's a long time for St. John's to be waiting for her report.)

Afternoon fun in the sun chasing lizards!

Belize was very patient to watch for movement. Robbie listens for the lizards to run. What a team! 

Meanwhile, Simplex Aluminum arrived by 830  and replaced the pans and finished up their repair portion. They do terrific work, and are very easy to deal with. (Belize thinks they are the enemy however! When the guys walked alongside the Sunroom, she ran to that end and threw herself against the window!) By 1 o'clock, Simplex was done, tidied up and on their way to their next job! Kudos! Thanks guys!

Mark and Randy came in about 4 o'clock, tired and hot from working at Dawn's. Just then, Paul from St. John's phoned with approval of our fire claim. Yahoo! Now we can get jiggy with the rest of the needed repairs! The check's in the mail. 

Mark repaired the back deck rail at Dawn's today. 

It looks like Randy has more painting to do. LOL

Tomorrow, a Fairbanks Construction rep will be over to look at our Sunroom needs. Finally, things are moving along for us.

That's it ... a good Tuesday!

Toofus Day ... 5/2/16

Good morning! It's a bright, beautiful start to our day! First up ... a trip to Dr. Pruitt for our dental cleanings. This is the first time that I don't have to premedicate ... it's more than 3 years since my last knee replacement surgery. Yay; no antibiotic belly ache. (It was good news from the dentist ... all's well ... he'll see us in 6 months!)

Funny, nothing shows on weather radar, but it's raining! Lew and Lynn arrived home from their New York family visit ... and as per normal, Lynn got sick! Speaking of sick, Dawn's under the weather with a terrible cough. Too bad she had to go to work today! Randy is feeling fine ... maybe Dawn's cough is allergy?

Mark made Mom's spaghetti sauce today and it was very good! (I knew it was the real thing when I cleaned the stovetop later.) LOL

Next time, a double batch ... maybe in the crockpot? 

Our boathouse aluminum was delivered today ... tomorrow will be a full work day for our Simplex guys. (THEY are on the ball whereas still no phone call approval from St. John's (home) Insurance!) What's with that? I will be on the phone AGAIN tomorrow to St. John's!

Tonight, Mark is stripping the Scotties coats while we watch the news. Rain is forecast (100%) by midnight. It was 90 this afternoon so thunderstorms will be a welcome relief ... and usher in cooler mornings by the weekend. Ta Ta. 

May Day - 2016

In the very merry month of May ... good morning world. We slept in until 820 ... but still enjoyed the front door open until 930 when Mark took the Scotties for their walk. 

We've been following James and Anita Tawns on their whirlwind American tour. It makes us want to hook up the RV and head west to see more of our gorgeous national parks! Weather permitting, maybe we will do just that when leaving Canada after summer!

But today, it's Scottie dog baths!

LOL. Poor Robbie ... he hid, but Mark found him behind the recliner. (They sure seem to feel good after a bath. It was crazy dog runs, again!)

This afternoon, we will be watching the NASCAR race. It's Talledega, the big one! Otherwise, a quiet Sunday until we go to dinner at RanDawn's tonight.   

We had a delicious dinner at Randy and Dawn's. He cooked a turkey breast, mashed potatoes and green beans. Plus, Nannies old wooden spoon for stirring the gravy. That's what made it so delicious, he said.

Afterward, we played half a game of Mexican Dominoes.

We had a good laugh when we realized we were all wearing magnetic stainless steel bracelets! Sons of Arthritis bracelets! LOL

We were home before 10. Poor Dawn had a bad cough, and sounded like she was coming down with something. And, she has to work tomorrow! 

Mark and I have dentist appointments tomorrow, but he is going to help Randy at Dawn's house on Tuesday.

So that's it for our Sunday. I hope yours was good. Ta Ta.