Monday, April 14, 2025

Happy 12th birthday to our sweet BeeZee!!! 

We took Bee to Lake Eustis Waterfront Grill for lunch … Shrimp basket and fries! She enjoyed being in her stroller and watching boats and birds. (Robbie and Wyatt stayed home today.) It would’ve been too much to have three dogs at the restaurant. Nancy and Linda were there holding a nice patio table when we arrived.

Back home the boys had leftovers of fries! I managed to paint a couple of hours while everyone else napped. 

Our sweetie! So happy she’s here with us for this big birthday. (Without January’s radiation treatments, she wouldn’t be.) 

April 24th we’re going to University of Florida for a scan on BeeZee. Based on potential findings she may begin chemotherapy. We shall see. One day at a time.

Saturday night when we were sitting on the front porch having a cocktail, we were surprised to see a SpaceX rocket launch. You can see it be beside the full moon. 

That’s it for today. ❤️

Monday, April 7, 2025

Good morning. It’s time I filled you in on our experience with allegiant airlines. Last Sunday we were to fly home from Asheville, North Carolina into Daytona Beach/Sanford airport. That is the base of allegiant airlines. 

We were to fly out Sunday at 7:15 PM but received eight text messages of delays. Finally, when it was too late to do anything else, the flight was canceled. Over 100 people stood around gate four trying to find other avenues of travel to reach their destinations.

We waited in line to talk with representatives at gate 4 for several minutes. Nothing was being announced and we couldn’t get on allegiant airline website. It had crashed   With no flights available for the next day as on allegiant the best they could do was a flight on Tuesday with four seats available or Thursday. We had to get home! Stat. 

I called out from the queue “where’s our luggage?” At the carousel, was the response from a gatekeeper! Seeing nothing was being done to get anyone on flights other than allegiant, we went to the carousel to pick up our bags. There was a guest services woman who I asked for help. And, she was wonderful. She found us a hotel room at the Clarion and arranged for shuttle service. Now, we had a room for the night. 

We hold our luggage with us and went to the rental car counter. Most were closed up, but one window was open. A woman and a man had just secured the last, one way car. She offered to split the rental with us and drive to Florida. Well, we didn’t take that offer. And looking back, how could it have been a legitimate one-way rental when as we found out a few minutes later, they never do one-way rentals from the airport rental fleet.

At 12:30 AM at the Clarion hotel, we had run out of options for renting a car to drive home! So, Mark made a phone call to budget car rental finding a phone number on a Google search. Well, that turned out to be an interesting conversation. Mark got someone by the name of Victor operating in a very noisy background likely in a very foreign country. Twice we thought we had been abandoned, but Victor came back on the line and reassured Mark that he was working on it. 

Victor found a Ford focus or similar car, one-way to Florida, one way for $986 through Hertz. Mark signed off on it on his cell phone. (I I was, meanwhile, searching for other flights to Florida. One way seats for two of us would be $1200. Allegiant Doesn’t have reciprocity cooperation from other airlines and we felt backed into a corner. 

The next morning at the Hertz rental car window at Asheville airport at 7:10 another gracious woman was  checking in to her job. She opened the window for us and asked what we needed. Well, there was no car rental information for us there. Obviously, we had been scammed. She thought perhaps it could have been a “corporate” rental and left her post to walk down to the garage to see if there was a car available or if anyone knew about it. Well, the rental car manager from the garage found us a Camry and was having it washed for us. When the woman at the rental wicket rang it up, she was shocked to see that it was 500 and some dollars. She thought that was a terrible price … but we told her we had been quoted $986. She said well there’s nothing on here to indicate that you paid anything last night. So, we left her a nice tip and got in the car and drove all day to get home to Florida.   

Once home, I called the credit card company and found out that there was a 400 and some odd dollar charge going through under “car rental” … And another for actual payment we had authorized at Hertz.  

Had we been duped? I started a dispute with the “car rental” charge but will not know an outcome until late May. 

The scammers online are shrewd operators . Mark called budget car rental, with the phone number on Google, and wound up with a Hertz rental and a finders fee paid to the scammers. What a world we live in. 

Sunday, March 29, 2025

Good morning! Well THAT was a lovely wedding reception for Abby & Jeremy. Nice venue.

Paula, Abby, Jeremy , Mark and me.

The wedding party 

Brian & Olivia

Paula & Mark

First dance … choreographed! 

Mark had fun taking candids … 

Haha! Fun times! 

Today we pack up and fly home. 

Saturday March 29, 2025

Hello from Asheville North Carolina where we’ve been since Thursday! It was downright chilly then but we apparently brought some springtime weather from Florida with our flight. 

Thursday we connected with Paula, Mark’s sister, and caught up with family news. It was good to see her … after the Covid years. We had dinner at the Olive Garden! 

Friday, after catching up on our sleep, Mark and I drove to Maggie Valley and Waynesville. Those were areas we enjoyed RVing in. Despite the extensive Hurricane Helene devastation in and around Asheville, that area was in good shape. There was tree damage, but not excessive flooding. 

We had lunch at the buttered biscuit, a favorite when we were RVing in the area. 

We took a drive around Waynesville and found a large group protesting our government issues of the day. There were plenty of signs about Trump and Elon.  

Waynesville protest

At 6:30 yesterday we met everyone at Asheville‘s Applebee’s for a big family dinner. It was a big noisy bunch. We had a great time.  

L-R Paula, Mark, me, Jonathan, Lindsay, Savannah, Scout, Marshall, Brian, Austin, Fallon and Olivia! Abby and Jeremy joined the group about 8 o’clock. They had been at a dinner with Abby’s out of town family. What fun!!! 

Now today, Saturday, is Abby and Jeremy’s “round two” Of their wedding. Due to hurricane Helene, the reception had been postponed. Things were flooded, no electricity, no hotels ipen and the airport closed. They were able to get married in the church! So, tonight is their reception!!! 🥳

 

Sunday March 23, 2025

Good evening! Yes, it’s me! 😂

No idea what we’ve been busy with so I shall look thru my pics for clues.

I’ve invited a few of my game day friends to a painting afternoon. I’ve never “taught?” paint party, but maybe … we’ll have fun I know! I’ve offered their choice and have 2 for Cocktails, 3 for Wildflowers and 5 for Beach Wave. 

Our March ladies luncheon at Applebee’s was super fun! The service was superb and everyone seemed to enjoy their food. 

The’hood’s St. Paddy’s picnic was really fun! Nancy hosted at her lakefront home and we all brought something! It was a big variety with 63 attendees! I (attempted) to make my cousin Debbie’s popular Banoffi Pie. She made it twice on our visits to the UK. Well, I remembered the ingredients but could not locate the recipe Debbie had sent me … SO I adlibed. 😝 

The caramel didn’t thicken, I used the wrong crust ingredients and Cool Whip instead of whipped cream. Oh yeah, green sprinkles rather than shaved chocolate. 

Those who hadn’t tasted that delectable pie before said it was yummy! To Mark and me it was a disaster. Since then, I found Debbie’s recipe!!! Here it is if you care to make it. It’s so decadent. ❤️

Last Tuesday we had Sloppy Joes at RanDawn’s with the gang including Jan, Dawn’s mom! It was a lovely night. 

Wyatt had his 3rd birthday! 

He did not like the hat. 🥳🐾🥰

The next day Mark groomed them … 

Handsome Robbie 14 years 3 months and spey!

Ms BeeZee, 11 years 11 months and doing very well following her January radiation treatments! ❤️

Wyatt, age 3 … sporting a gorgeous beard! He’s a very nice Scottie, full of fun!

Next week we’re off to Asheville to see the NC family! 

That’s it for now. 

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Good morning from Central Florida, where it is a bright, beautiful sunshiny day, despite the dismal political fallout. 

Last Thursday, Nancy and I attended a musical show at the Mount Dora music hall. It was well attended for the Edwards Twins, a long-running variety show from Las Vegas.  They do more than 100 impersonations. It was fascinating to watch, and the music was fabulous. We had a wonderful evening.  

Yesterday, we got together for Wayne‘s birthday at the Olive Garden in Leesburg. Randy and Dawn joined in. It was a great evening with good food and lots of laughs.Diane and Kris are away at a Van club camp out. They certainly have nice weather and I hope they are having a fun time.

Life continues despite the fallout around the world from the orange turd. Tomatoes are rotting With no migrant workers to pick them. Oranges are on the ground, again, no migrant workers to pick them. I could go on and on and on, but if you’ve been watching the news, you know that the States Is in a dark period of history. 

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Good morning from cloudy Central Florida where it’s 54°F. Yes, we are in the midst of another cold front after having days in the low 80s last week  The weather we can deal with, the troubling political climate is another issue altogether.  At this point in time, it’s important to care for yourself. 

Here are some of the steps being taken in our country and Canada to boycott the oligarchs:

This is like swatting a mosquito when in the midst of a swamp … there must be more that can be done. 

Back at the ranch, as they used to say during the spaghetti westerns, the kids got haircuts last Sunday. We had been trying, in vain, to not clipper them. Their hair was out of control with Belize’s hair about 5 inches long and Wyatt looking like he was wearing an Afro wig on his back.  😂

Here they are, Robbie, Belize, and Wyatt, all freshly groomed and packed together like sardines … the way Mark put them on the sofa. 😂 They are so sweet, and Miss B is feeling good again!!! 🐾🥰

Yesterday when Mark was walking all three Scotties, our neighbor’s small dogs were off leash and their Chihuahua charged (along with the dachshund and a black-and-white small dog) from 3 houses away and attacked BeeZee. Bee and Wyatt retaliated and 2 of the 3 dogs ran for home but Harvey didn’t back down. After some teeth gnashing he ran yelping home. You might think that Mark was in front of their dogs’s house, but he was three houses away! (Bee got a bite on her face.) 😢 Geez Louise. 😡 This wasn’t the first time the Chihuahua got loose and attacked. It’s time to fix the fence or wherever he is escaping from. 

Although admittedly, this picture doesn’t do it justice, we are not putting more plants the new area til our pending electrical job is finished next week. 

Mark extended the landscape stones around the side of the house. It will be pretty with the Jasmine shrubs come spring. We have a ponytail, palm to plant in there as well. In any event, it’s much tidier. 

Next week is our dental appointment and cleanings. 

😂

That’s it for today. It’s housekeeping, laundry and tonight we are playing Catan with Nancy.  Wishing you a happy Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy the weekend wherever you are  🥰