Saturday, November 7, 2020

Saturday, November 7, 2020

Good morning sunshine! It’s a bright beautiful start to our day ... perfect weather. I’m optimistic BLUE will take all 6 states still being counted ... patience. 

Mark and Wayno are going tramping in the forest today ... fun R ‘n R for them both. (LaDonna will be enjoying their granddaughter today.)

Me? Well I’d like to finish the livingroom’s Christmas decorating but the new garland won’t arrive til Monday! Drat ... the fireplace mantel sits bare. (I like to finish what I start!) 

Mark took the last old pillar down in the boathouse. It was the old support for the original, (smaller) tin roof. There’s so much more space now and it’s easier to walk around. This pillar was solid, and when it fell over it took a piece off our concrete butterfly’s wing. One job leads to another, Mark says he can fix it. Whew! 



Left side, rear of photo ... that green thing is the old pillar. 

YES πŸ‘πŸ» Aurelia phoned us at 11:15, CNN reported they had called the election. Congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris! We couldn’t be happier. Champagne
 πŸ₯‚ 🍾  ... we are waking up from a four year nightmare! 

Biden ... 290 ... I am predicting he will get Georgia too! (We’ll see!!!)




Amen to that!!! Or, as a kid I thought it was “All-mennn” 🀣 



Yeah, 

Isn’t it silly that Trump hasn’t conceded and made a call to Biden. That speaks volumes about his Trump’s low character. If you’re watching TV tonight you’re seeing jubilant crowds all around America dancing and celebrating in the streets.  I could add dozens of thoughts but here’s just one ... The world 🌎 breathed a sigh of relief today.  




Friday, November 6, 2020

Friday, November 6, 2020

Good afternoon. Well, we were up early and left the house about 8 o’clock to get our blood work done in Eustis. Quest is in a new location in the Beall’s shopping mall. It’s a nice spacious place, compared to their old location on Grove. Afterward, we planned to go to Sonic for a burrito breakfast. I remember they were pretty tasty from our Oklahoma days. However, when Mark read the calorie count on their drivein menu, we decided to go for a proper breakfast. πŸ˜‚

At Jeannie’s, the breakfast was delicious! Mark and I were the only two people wearing a mask. We chose a booth away from everyone else and kept our masks on til our food came.  Tonight is 1st Friday in downtown Eustis. It’s been going on, as usual, with plenty of people attending. We’re staying home ... the Covid cases are skyrocketing and we won’t take a chance with our health. 

It’s very sad to see the death count following the rallies. Please folks, take precautions so you’re not just a statistic! 


What’s going on with our American election, you ask? Well, the votes continue to be counted and will be counted until every final vote is tallied. Here’s where we are at the moment ... 


In family news, Mark’s sister Paula retired on Halloween from a 30+ year nursing career. Congratulations to Paula. We hope you will have a happy retirement and enjoy all the things on your bucket list. Cheers πŸ₯‚ 





At 4 o’clock I got on zoom with the YaYa girls and played charades. It was a little tougher to do online, but we managed and also drank a glass of wine. While I was online, Mark took the Scotties for a long ride on the Caddy. 








Thursday, November 5, 2020

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Good afternoon. It’s been an odds and sods day around here. I’m not sure we’ve really gotten anything accomplished, but did manage a two hour nap. Ha ha ha. We were fairly late coming back from Pat and Ken’s democratic party last night. Spirits were high, and the spirits were flowing. πŸ₯³ Everyone was dressed in blue! 

I called in on my Autumn Lake painting ...





Ballots are still being counted in six states. This was the largest election turnout since the early 1900s and many voters chose the mail-in ballot because of COVID-19. Those have to be counted manually and then uploaded into the computer system. As you can imagine that takes time.


Although the Republicans took Florida, you can see there are plenty of good-sized pockets of blue in the metropolitan areas. Our Lake County borders the Orlando area’s northern region. 

So here’s where we stand at 5 o’clock tonight on the Prez results ... 


We took the kids for a nice ride on the Caddy all the way around the neighborhood. On the far street, there was a worker standing in the back of a pick up truck, trimming palm trees. A large shepherd-mix dog was wandering around his truck, not tethered. As we went by in the golf cart, there was no reaction from either our dogs nor his dog. But, about 100 yards down the street I caught sight of the dog gaining on us about 20 feet from the back of our golf cart. He was running like hell. I grabbed the can of pet corrector a.k.a. whoop ass, and as he got alongside the cart, I sprayed him,  twice. He wheeled around and headed for home. That stuff doesn’t harm them, but it sure scares the crap out of them! It’s CO2 ... best $20 ever. 

ROCKET πŸš€ ... We just saw the Delta heavy that was launched from Cape Canaveral go over. It was fantastic to see. 

We’re front porch sitting with our pretty lights on with wine and a cigar. Ta ta til tomorrow. 









Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Good morning! There’s no clear winner at this early hour in the American presidential race. Every vote must be counted; that’s how it has to be done. While we wait patiently for the outcome, here is a little political article as to how Republicans became elephants and Democrats donkeys. Not only is it entertaining, but the artwork is amazing! 


































So, we await the tally of the votes. But, no matter how this election ends, we will still need to show up for work, plant gardens, sing songs, teach our kids kindness, and listen to people who think differently than we do. We need to take cherish our elders, and protect our planet. We have had four years of divisiveness, rudeness and lack of respect for the environment. Our allies have been slandered, whereas they deserve our praise and friendship. It’s a long haul to recovery in our beautiful USA. Let’s make the pledge to beat the virus ... Please wear your mask, wash your hands, social distance, rest well and above all else, keep going. 


Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Good afternoon. I see the date is November 3, mom and dad‘s anniversary!  I sure miss them, they were a couple of characters and loads of fun. I guess that’s where I inherited my party spirit. πŸ₯³

Today is our American election. Vote as you please, but please vote. I really would you like you to vote BLUE and get our country working together. The divisiveness  that we’ve experienced during the Trump years, pitting one against the other, destroyed the fabric of our country. We shall see what “we the people“ have chosen later tonight. Fingers crossed 🀞 

Sue and Wayne have decided officially they won’t be here for Thanksgiving. It’s the smart thing to do and in accordance with Dr. Fauci and the CDC guidelines. It sucks though ... it’s been our traditional start to the Christmas season to meet at “The Cottage.” 

SO ... I decorated for Christmas! The Sunroom tree ... 

Coastal style. 

The Dining room tree ... 

Aqua and Purple decor (Pic from kitchen peninsula)

The Dining room table ... 



Purple Damask with gold sequins

The entranceway

A few bits of my artwork 

The Living room is awaiting a new frosted garland with lights for the fireplace mantel. Then I’ll decorate it with blue baubles. Next week! 

Tonight, Mark and I are on the front porch enjoying the glass fireplace that our friends LaDonna and Wayne gave us. Mark had to rig it to work, as we tried and tried and couldn’t get it going. It’s awesome now. It throws off just enough heat to take the chill out of the air and gives the ambience with a flame. I am on my third glass of wine, afraid to watch any election results.


Neat eh? If it was 80°, it would be too hot, but it’s 64 now and it feels just nice on the front porch. Both Robs and Bee are laying by my chair. πŸΎπŸ’•

Well, it’s now 930 and I’m still sitting outside, staying away from the bloody TV. It’s a gorgeous quiet night here, not one car has gone by in the five hours I’ve been outside. Now that’s a quiet neighborhood. LOL. Randy and Dawn called, they voted at 3 o’clock, no line, and were on their way home. I’ve texted with a few friends, but that’s it. 
















Monday, November 2, 2020

Monday, November 2, 2020

Good evening ... said Alfred Hitchcock. Sue and I watched Chiller & Thriller together Saturday nights when Mom n Dad went out. Mostly we watched by peeking between our fingers. 🀣

How’s the time change affecting you? I was up at 3:50 for the day. 😬 For 3 hours I worked on a new painting ... then I got motivated to lift my spirits by decorating for CHRISTMAS πŸŽ„ 


There’s no guarantee we’ll have any Christmas with family this year ... but I’m decorating as per usual. There’s a tree in the Sunroom ... and a tree in the Dining room. This year, the Living room will feature a snow flocked, white lights pine garland. I’m so excited!!!

So, THE cause of this MESS ... 



Yeah, a dumb TV host WAS a bad choice America. Let’s FIX THIS tomorrow! Dump Trump. 

“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?" 

Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England, wrote this magnificent response:

"A few things spring to mind.

Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem.

For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace - all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.

So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing - not once, ever.

I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility - for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.

But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is - his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.

And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults - he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface.

Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront.

Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul.

And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist.

Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that.

He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat.

He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully.

That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead.

There are unspoken rules to this stuff - the Queensberry rules of basic decency - and he breaks them all. He punches downwards - which a gentleman should, would, could never do - and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless - and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority - perhaps a third - of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think 'Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:
* Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.
* You don't need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss.

After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.

God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid.

He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart.

In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws - he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish:

'My God… what… have… I… created?

If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set."


SOOOO ... VOTE tomorrow. 


Sunday, November 1, 2020

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Good morning. Well, I forgot to change the clocks last night. I got up at 10 to 5 which turned out to be 10 to 4. Ha ha Ha on me. Someone’s going to need a nap later today. πŸ™„

Today is All Saints Day ... and Sue’s birthday! 


Mark was busy enough today trimming palms in the backyard. They’re huge ... and give us lovely shade in the afternoons. Lani and Marky-Mark were trimming trees at their property ... the landscape truck will be busy tomorrow! 

Have you tried the Bud Light Seltzers? I like the strawberry and the pineapple ... 100 calories. Refreshing! A case of 12 was $19 ... I’ll wait til there’s competition and price wars. πŸ˜‚

LaDonna and Wayno have gone RVing for 5 nights, without us. We’ve had too much going on lately and had to pass on this trip. They’ve gone to a new RV resort in Citra that’s very nice! Tomorrow they’ll send pictures! 

I painted today ... sold a waterfall painting yesterday so I need more eBay inventory.