More like it

The past two days have been beautiful in the weather department. Promised rain today never materialized this afternoon. I went down to Robert and Moe's to enjoy their firepit for awhile tonight. It's pretty neat. Honey was/is having a fit about a marauding cat or coon. It paid a visit last night but found nothing to eat.

Not so for me-the diet resolution didn't last 24 hours. Joyce had collected copies of a local newspaper with coupons so several of us went to the Rum Shack for the early bird special on Friday. I had a decent tuna steak and otherwise ate wisely but it was no soup diet. Lake Worth is fun downtown, all day long and into the night. Music in the open air bars, shops open, all manner of people and dogs, mingle and wander. We went to Bali-my favorite import place. Joyce is a shopper/spender. Scouted some gew-gaws for Lori's birthday Monday.

Today I ran the dog and waited until 11:00 when the shop opened and made some purchases for Lori and a thank you gift for Marcia. I went to the Green Market in the beach parking lot. I was too late for the bread. I bought some olives-Greek and otherwise, for Rene-a little gift as he admitted to a fondness for them. I saw Rene, Terese, Andre and Nicole on the fitness trail and presented the olives. Terese said, "Come for lunch, I will make a salad. Nicole contributed some chicken for it, I had five Corona beers and so provisioned we proceeded to have a party. Interesting conversation and wit. Andre is a stitch. Very sharp.

In the afternoon I was reading a book on my Kindle. Gary came by and I gave him my remaining beer. Joyce came on her bicycle. Gary bought it for her this morning at the Flea Market and spent the afternoon rehabilitating it. It is a great bike for $35.00. They were both pleased.

I stepped out of the coach tonight and instead of the usual knee twinge, something gave. It is a little swollen but not really painful. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Adventures with the Sony Camera

Cool night but it warmed up fast so I was off early with Honey for a bike run. Then she saw a buddy "Woody" passing and started barking so we walked the circle with them. They played a little but mostly they walked. After that I fed them pork loin and looked at the darn roast and said "I don't need all of that," so I took a nice chunk to Robert and Moe for lunch meat. Then I ditched the dogs for a camera safari and later ditched the bike for the van and went through the park and to the beach for picture-taking-to put the camera through its paces to see how it does. The EVF (electronic viewfinder) is a little disappointing. But the pictures are great. The camera on automatic is very forgiving. More pix at the link:

Adventures with the Sony in Lake Worth

Tony invited me to his yard for big fat NY strip steaks, baked potatoes, salad, and canapes with Maryland Blue Crab dip. Life is good. But the high living has to stop. I was on a downhill weight trajectory and I want that to continue. It is going to be back to soup for awhile. The usual evening chill drove me home but when I took the dogs out, a warm front had arrived.

Park Life

The panorama pictures need to be clicked upon to enlarge them. Shots of parts of this beautiful park taken with the new Sony camera. Above is part of Lake Osborne by the causeway to the campground. The shot below is across the street showing the wetlands/kayaking area.

I was able to park the dogs for awhile. Joyce called while I was at home visiting with her husband and she announced lunch was about ready. So we went for a nice lunch. Having already left the dogs at home I continued biking and taking a few pictures.

I think the Park rangers were conducting a fish census. There was a die-off in the cold. There is a dead iguana across the street from us. They die in the trees and it takes a few days for them to fall out. Buster was real interested in it.

The 20X zoom revealed more of the lake on the far side of the island. I did a little cleaning and discovered a pork loin that had a "use by" date of today so I cooked that and invited Tony for supper. Roast pork, salad, sweet potato, applesauce, cranberry sauce eaten in the evening chilling. Tony has lived in Florida for 31 years and says this is the coldest winter in his recollection. The evenings and mornings are chilly but the sun gets things up to 70 degrees during the day which is cold to a Floridian but delightful to a Wyoming guy. I am not complaining.

"Moe" aka Maureen came over this morning and we chatted while Joyce got ready for her walk with Moe. Moe is from Quebec but is a mostly English speaker. Kind of a fireplug in build and cheerful and capable. We were backdoor neighbors two years ago. They stayed home for her husband's treatment for Hepatitis C last year. It was not successful. Robert is a great guy- kind of quiet but kind and capable. The disease has progressed to early cirrhosis and that is bad. He gets tired.

Honey bolted twice today between door and tether. Once she went into the pasture and was playing with some dogs. They were all having a ball. The second time was after Tony left and she scared the poopings out of some walkers. So we are using the leash all the time now and the training collar is charging tonight. I shorted her on her walk this morning because she was so headstrong. Not much fun to battle her and I am really pretty lenient with letting her sniff and explore. Maybe she will do better tomorrow with more exercise. Buster was perky all day long. We snuggled last night and I can interrupt the coughing spells with rhythmic patting.

Potluck

The top picture was taken with the new Sony. The shutter is so fast it stopped the propeller on this seaplane. Click on it to enlarge and observe. The below picture,taken with a pocket camera, is of our gang with the good addition of Andre H. in the white shirt. He has been having good luck fishing- a four pound bass from our lake and some other fish went into a chowder pot. It was terrific. That was his contribution to the potluck supper. 150 of us turned out. Everybody sails past the "Absolutely No Alcohol" sign with their wine and beer and it makes for a convivial time.

.
We were already convivial because Rene and Terese hosted a cocktail hour and a half before the potluck.

Click on the picture below for a few more pictures with captions:

Happy Campers

The lady next door who is a decidedly unhappy camper surprised me with a gift: She knitted me two pot holders or hot pads to match my camper. She was a recipient of coffee cake and we have visited a couple of times. They seldom emerge from their camper and I am relatively certain her husband stays pickled most of the time. It was a very sweet thing for her to do. They are very nice-tight stitches and they lay flat.

New Toy!

Clicken to embiggen the pictures. The kids wanted to get me a DSLR camera for Christmas but I confessed to them that I have one and lugging the lenses and changing them constantly limits its use. But, I found a camera-a Sony, that has an actual mechanical shutter and some terrific features. They generously splurged for me. It was waiting in Deerfield and it was killing me. Unbeknownst to me Lori had sprained her ankle Friday night. But she was some better by yesterday and I took them lunch. We all played with the camera. Jason thinks it might cost him twice as much as anticipated because Lori might need one. It is a great camera. It takes panorama shots and hand-held twilight shots as well as hardly a bad one in the bunch. I am thrilled with it. The top picture is a 240 degree panorama from the point on their property. I have often wished for such a feature in Wyoming where the vistas are so magnificent- a chunk out of the middle doesn't do it justice.

My beautiful grand-dog Juneau resting after hard play with Honey. Below is Buster the wonder dog-still kicking. A cold front came through so we snuggled all night long last night. I loved it.

The potluck was postponed until tonight due to a deluge. If it doesn't happen tonight I will skip it due to the ptomaine factor. In this climate, next day food is usually safe but three days???

Jaunty

I felt jaunty today. Donned my bright red T-shirt and red beret for the morning hound walk. Smiles and guffaws from some of my friends, but smiles from strangers. I made a huge mistake going to Costco hungry. I was in quest of a big pie to take to the pot-luck tomorow. I got that and 29 ounces of chicken salad wraps, a coffee cake, two bags of pita chips and a big bag of Craisins. By noon my senses had returned and I gave wraps to Tony and Art and made coffee cake plates for three neighbors. Honey likes the pita chips (and the coffee cake) but thinks the Craisins are awful.

It was a windy day and I have spent the weekend waiting for a call from Deerfield. A package was supposed to have been delivered for me Friday. I made a pot roast in a slow cooker. Cooker and meal were to be gifts for the Deerfield folks. I shared it with Tony and the dogs. No call. Those kids are busy and a big deal was in the offing so no biggie.

Tonight Tony reciprocated and made a pasta dish from scratch -homemade noodles and all. I will ask the name of it tomorrow. I want to be sure to never, ever, order it in a restaurant. I am getting to know more about Tony than I ever thought I wanted to know. Good talker, not much on the listening.

Andre made a "movie." He roller bladed around the park and stopped every 1000 meters to take a picture. It will give you some idea of parts of this great park we live in.
http://gallery.me.com/andredemers/100073

(This link may not work- I copied it from his email.)

Joyce and Gary arrived. Honey remembered Joyce and started barking before she got across the pasture.

Prudy and Gary stopped in. I called Rick-he was off on some quest up north. We know he is alive and got his motorcycle out of hock. He said he would stop by. That will coincide with the pot-luck but I think the pot-luck is going to coincide with a thunderstorm in which case the pot-luck will be Tuesday. Did you get that? My cherry pie is safe in the refrigerator until it happens.

Alive and Well in Paradise?

The weather is varied and a lot of it is not ideal. But I check temperatures at home and feel grateful to be here. Buster woke me up at 3:00 a.m. the other night needing to go out in the worst way. We went, he went, then he collapsed on the way back to the RV. I carried him home and sat in the screen-house scratching his ears and telling him what a good dog he was until dawn. A passing dog walker caught his attention and he was suddenly well. Bright eyed and looking for his breakfast. He is definitely fading but I'm not counting him out yet. Of course I have been completely out of sync since then. Tired when I should not be, and otherwise screwed up.

It has been mostly domestic around here. Visitors often and I enjoy them. Honey and I visit with dogs and people all around the park on our walks. Gary came over with his wife Prudy this morning asking if I knew where Rick was. The Airstream is gone. Gil stopped yesterday to tell me Rick had sold his Airstream to somebody from Tampa and has moved to an apartment. He said goodbye to Gil but neither of his major benefactors heard a word. I suspect we will, though. Gary's wife, Prudy, is a chatty one. Good woman but "out there."

I've been hanging around the park too much. I need to break out of the rut. I hesitate to take Buster anywhere he may get too hot but he is fine alone. He sleeps a lot anyway whether I am here or not but he amps up the coughing if I leave him alone-not that I can hear him coughing when I sneak up on him but he lets me know. We are all having nap time now. I will have to hurry to catch up.

Verry Intterestting...

Cool start on a warm day. Walked the dogs, set about swapping a picnic table with a neighbor and fiddled around setting things right after the rainstorm Sunday. I got visitors. Bob,who is a hoot, is a retired fence contractor who for years spent the winters in the Keys being a commercial fisherman. His wife is a treat too but just Bob came wandering in. He is president of his Lion's Club back home and he filled me in on their good work. In his town they screen all preschoolers for vision problems and detect about 10 percent with problems. They buy exams and glasses for the destitute kids. I asked what they did with the glasses they collect. They strip the gold from frames and turn it into cash. They have machines that can read the prescriptions. They mark them with the prescriptions, bag them up and off they go to third world countries. Since they have chapters in every country accountability is excellent. Their $18 million was the the first to get there after the tsunami. The organization was inspired when Helen Keller spoke at their national convention many years ago. She asked them to become "The Knights of Sight" and they did.

Tony came by. People need to talk. His first marriage, produced three kids and in the early 2000's his wife became very religious which she felt exempted her from many wifely duties except the spending of the family income. They divorced. Alarmed at the prospect of growing old alone he hit the Internet and spent 10 months flying to Europe and South America meeting prospective wives. He finally settled on one from Colombia, imported her and her teen-aged daughter only to discover that something was fishy. The daughter's daddy was suddenly back in the picture. He became further alarmed when he discovered immigration laws will provide visas to women who complain of domestic violence and also to women whose citizen husbands die. That marriage lasted six months and he felt lucky to get out of it alive and for $20,000.00. He no longer fears growing old alone. He has the Jack Russell terriers to spill his affection on.

The Latours stopped by with her sister Cindy. Cindy and her husband had been on a ballroom dancing cruise. Her husband encouraged her to stay for another week. Cindy has had extensive "work" done since I last saw her. She looks good but I wouldn't have recognized her. Boobs next. Cindy is sweet and peppy and I like her. She spent a lot of time down here last year. (something fishy going on at home?) They mentioned that they had a great meal at the Pizza Palace-a little bistro in my nearest shopping mall. I saddled up as quickly as they left. I have been hankering for good spaghetti. Of course, Latour-recommended it was a great "value" and it was very good food. I am glad to know of it.

Smoked a Chicken

Sunday turned out to be a very pleasant afternoon. The kids were hanging out. Jason was sitting on a high dollar deal with the company but was affable and dear Lori went to the Fresh Market for delicacies before I arrived. Bruschetta and Hummus on peppery toast rounds, a nice California wine, two loads of laundry in their fabulous washer, big honking shish-ka-bobs on the grill, sweet potato and pasta salad made it the best laundry day I ever had. The doggies were ready to play which entertained us almost as much as watching the Vikings whip up on Dallas. The weather was great after a rainy morning.

Today was a beautiful day and we are supposed to get several now. I went to a meeting of the Volunteers to plan the social calendar. Pot-luck next Monday. Perhaps a movie to follow. Honey got a walk and a bike run. Buster got a walk and in trouble. He smelled something good at the neighbor's and went looking. Not a dog lover on that side but he is checking out tomorrow. His wife already flew home to Montreal. He did speak and is fluent-sometimes they just don't talk. I hope I get a better neighbor. There are some good ones on my row. Tony said he was going to smoke a chicken. He did and brought me a half of a smoked chicken. It was fantastic! Very unusual and tasty. He pops in several times a day-not for long. The lady immediately to my left is still unhappy with the park but she offered me her picnic table (a long one) as her entertaining is over. She is a genealogist so we gabbed about that.

I played with my cameras-not like in taking pictures, but like sharpening my pencils. Cleaned lenses, changed or charged batteries, fixed a lens cover keeper. Nicole and Therese were happily doing their art together in Nicole's tent-house. Rene and Andre were riding the new bikes.

Living Inside a Drum

Big winds yesterday and rain today. I had discussed awning straps with Marc. I was using a nylon rope to hold down the middle of my awning to keep the wind from getting under it and ripping it off and said, "They make a flat strap but they are pretty expensive." He found some flat plastic strapping used for packaging, for a pittance, and gave me the rest of his roll. It was flimsy and the install was accompanied by cursing as it blew around in the wind, got caught on the ventilator, etc., but the deed was done, held taut by bungie cords. The winds were pretty strong and I soon found that a gust would result in a huge bass drum roll. But, I was stuck until the winds subsided. I am surprised the neighbors didn't come knocking.

I was up early today and disassembled the strap, put up the nylon rope, and was good to go when the winds came up and and the rain started. Silence is golden. My screen house is snug and dry. Nice place to be, it is but I am in and under the air conditioning with the dogs. It is the first time I have used the air conditioner in two weeks.

Lori called and I will go south to do laundry, give the dogs a play date, and have Sunday dinner. A welcome invitation. I will feed the dogs and gather the laundry.

New Neighborhood

With a new north-south placement and a bodacious shade tree on the east side, I am able to do without the aluminum sunscreen and just use the 40% fabric shade. This suits the Honey-bear because she can watch the people and dogs passing by. She seems to understand she is invisible to them. She is a regular ambassador for doggiedom when we walk. She is sweet with all, old, young, sick and decrepit as long as they are DOGS! She actually let a lady touch her today so the socialization seems to be working. She is hell on wheels when her territory is threatened, though.

There are a couple of dogs we met on our rounds- a Corgi who is very ill with Lymphoma and had a morphine patch. We spent quite awhile with dog and master. A near neighbor has a terrier that is already beyond her vet stated expiration day and I just don't see it-she seems pretty bouncy to me. Her owner, Tony, was so negative when we met I was turned off. He came and visited quite awhile today. He owns a house but can't afford to live in it. He has a great 32 year old mint condition Airstream travel trailer. He is/was a general contractor and his most recent client, a doctor, is trying to stiff him on his bill. Three terriers and a serious photographer so if he can keep positive, he might make a fun friend.

Rene and Therese arrived today. Somewhere in Virginia their bike rack fell off and they didn't have a clue. They had great bikes and were fond of them but are consoling themselves with the prospect of new ones. Mme. Latour and I had a conversation the other day and I said "We ought to decorate their site before they arrive." She flat out stole the idea and cut me out of the action. But I had to laugh. She bought 20 el-cheapo balloons and there were only four that hadn't popped by the time Rene and Therese arrived. "Cheaters never prosper, said Grandma Mason. Rene and Therese look great. I am glad they are here. I am trying to develop compassion for Mme. and understand why she does what she does.

Tony had a brand new piece of sewer hose I bought from him. I was trying to opt for continued honey-wagon service because the dolts that designed the new sites put the sewer connections way forward-good for trailers but not so hot for 38 foot RV's. It is a 24 foot stretch from outlet to inlet. I had about 12 feet of hose. But I now have a connection. Not quite to Crane Hall cafeteria but it feels like it. I'll have to get one of those slinky things to provide a downhill slide. Don't want to play "Poop in the Python," at all!

Warm temperatures and two pretty good rains; last night and this afternoon. My handiwork on the awning area and screenhouse/Florida room proved up to the task. A cozy little site is emerging.

I blogged last night but the internet connection went down and I don't know where it went.

MOVED!

I am in my new site with lights and electricity, awning out and staked, outdoor furniture arranged and plenty of piddly stuff to do tomorrow. I was up early to finish packing up and put up the awning, etc. I did not ask a single soul to help but before the appointed hour my volunteers came: Patsy, then Andre and Nicole, then Marc with his truck, the Joe and Hal. We dang near had the stuff surrounded. I had placed nearly everything on the picnic table. My awning has a bent strut so it wouldn't quite go all the way in but we caravaned to the new site and they helped me back in and set up! Good electricity and water pressure. THEN, Jeanne said lunch was ready after the crowd had dwindled to we five. At chateau Latour we sat in the sunshine had an elegant salad with steak and kielbasa on it, bamboo hearts, olives, peppers, etc., etc., watched a mama raccoon and four babies try to crash the party and watched the many birds including parrots. A nice bottle of wine imbibed, and good conversation ensued. Jeanne had received a Hasbro "Bop-it" game and surprisingly it was a hoot. We made a good memory out of moving day.

Claud stopped by and said there were hundreds of dead fish floating and perished iguanas around the lake. The cold did them in. We are supposed to have a few nicer days and then rain on Sunday. I will have my hatches battened by then but I must admit, I started to "set-up" during lunch. Don't know if the new meds or the cumulative cold have anything to do with it-it doesn't seem to me that I broke much of a sweat getting things ready. Generic Aleve is helping.

Equilibrium

To complain about 33 degree weather when it is minus 3 degrees at home seems weird. The humidity, lack of appropriate wardrobe, and stiff breezes do make it uncomfortable but not life threatening like it is in Wyoming. Then the days do improve in Florida. By noon, the layers are being shed and the heaters go off and the fans come on. Each day is a little better. We will be complaining about the heat by Sunday.

Alone time is not a luxury for this cat. It is a necessity to maintain equilibrium. The past two days have been helpful. I have not been idle but time for the details is available. The dogs got their Iverhart meds (in ice cream). Honey got groomed and de-matted. Buster got brushed. I re-patched the tear in my awning which was a little tricky: stepstool, table, hanging on a strut. The beard got caught in a de-flapper. That was painful. The awning tape ran out. But I did not fall and it looks better. This in prep of rolling it up and moving. Other preps for moving too. Today should be big progress.

The dogs got liver for the past couple of nights. It seems to help Buster. It was not thrilling to me though. A thin crust Hawaiian Pizza hit the spot though it revealed just how paltry pizza toppings are. The Domino's box felt empty without a big glob of bread in there. The medium size has shrunk, also. Not a good value.

The Humana/Rightsource meds came. The new Benazipril at the right strength was discernible in effect. The BP went right down. The doc gave me leave to cheat on the Amlodipine if feet and ankles swell in the heat. It is not cheating time yet.

Livin' in My Hoodie

My hoodie has been off for sleeping, period. Just now it is starting to feel warm-inside. That means it is warming up outside. I'll take Honey for a walk soon.

Rick had me over for a rib-eye steak, baked potato and salad last night in his 1962 Airstream. The man has had a paycheck and he is walking taller. His Airsteam needs some cosmetic work but those darn things are so well designed and his is of a vintage that the Amish were doing the finish work. The cabinets and fixtures are admirable. He was thinking of selling it but now that he is on the way up it seems to be gaining value in his eyes. He cooked well but he was a little too liberal with the salt and my ankles were swelling before I left. I drank a lot of water to flush the salt and was up and down all night long.

Marcia, one of the kid's neighbors gave them a firepot for Christmas which I thought was very cool. I asked her where she got it at the poker party and when I went down for the ride to the Anniversary party -she had found one for me. That was very nice. I will use it when I inaugurate the new site.

Just got off a Skype video call from Jeanne. Must walk the dog.

Anniversary Party in Victoria Park

This morning for the first time in 5 years I fired up one of the furnaces in the RV. The cube heaters were not getting the job done. I wasn't even sure the furnace was ready to go but in a minute I had blessed heat. I had to get ready to go to breakfast at the Haapenen's. Really the occasion was Ken needed help getting online with his computer. They bribed me with Finnish pancakes-the Finn answer to crepes. They were tasty and I caught up with their summer activities in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It was a merry chase finding them because Ken isn't any better giving directions than he is with computers. They are in a fourth story apartment this year. Nice view. The computer issues were rudimentary. He is good to go.

The kids invited me to stay at their house last night but knowing that I had a morning appointment drove me on home. It was not too late. They had hauled me down to Fort Lauderdale, Victoria Park for an anniversary party that was fun and just the right size. Pix at the link:

Anniversary Party in Victoria Park

The weather is gradually improving. The dogs got a walk after I bundled up this afternoon. It is supposed to be 72 degrees on Thursday. Come onnn Thursday!

I spoke to Eve briefly. News of the Eureka Earthquake made it sound like Medford was in it. She felt nothing. I had called Matt much earlier to check on them but he must have heard nothing. For me to hear nothing back was raising visions of toppled cell phone towers and widespread devastation. Eve was about to meet them for a bon-voyage breakfast. She is going to Mexico for a couple of weeks to see an old friend and get her teeth worked on by a highly recommended Mexican Dentist. Less than a third of the cost of a U.S. Dentist even with travel factored in. I wished her well.

Dismal

Dismal weather-it is warmer in Medford, OR than it is South Florida. I was planning to move tomorrow but I am not going out in freezing rain today to finish getting ready. I made good progress yesterday. Buster has the squirts and the hacks, but is getting better. Over all, not my favorite day of the 2009-2010 season.

Rich sent a nice basket from Harry and David's so we have (I have) treats and I made spaghetti sauce yesterday. I don't know what, if any effect the weather will have on the party in Fort Lauderdale tonight. Most people down here use the outdoors for a portion of a party. The weather will improve in a few days. The whole country is freezing. It is all relative.

Rick got a healthy paycheck yesterday. So he is on the way to getting back on his feet.

Need to get the Honey girl in. She thinks she needs to be outside but twenty minutes out there usually cures that until she forgets again.

Thank the gods and Ineptitude!

Took the dogs on a walk to the new site with steel tape measure in hand. Honey spotted something in the bushes and took me for a ride. She will be happy there. Bob was riding his bike. I helped him level his RV in his nearby site yesterday-he has had to move 3 times. He said they gave him the wrong site-it was off by one number, so he went to see them. They said stay. Then I looked around at the numbers. What was 248 last year is now 249. 248 is a great site! Long and level and barely wide enough. Called the office to confirm it was my site. I was ecstatic. Happy Camper.

Today is a beautiful break before another cold front. We are enjoying it.

In spite of the cold I put on my hoodie and sat in my lawn chair yesterday. With the sun on my face and all toasty I fell asleep. Three of my meds warn of too much sun. My nose was swollen when I awoke. It is still too big today but it is normal. I felt not so hot yesterday. My feet were swelling the day before (cold?) so I took a diuretic and was just feeling "off." Soaked my feet in warm water laced with epsom salts, Hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and sea salt. That helped a great deal. That is not the exact formula but it is close to a foot soak that I heard discussed recently. Whether it is hooplah or not, it felt good and will become a weekly ritual.

Still Chillin'

A real-life day. I stayed under the warm covers a while longer today. Walked the Honey dog because the wind makes riding the bike unpleasantly cold. They were going great guns on the site reconstruction. I spoke to the manager as well as Lisa about my reserved site. It is shorter and narrower than it was in the "old park." This produced a big fat goose egg in results. It might have taken a yard or two of shell rock do it right but it wasn't done right. and I hope they plan to smooth it out. I am on the verge of getting crabby.

Jeanne told me Casual Male was having a big sale- She had gone to Steinmart for jeans and noticed the signs. I went down there and found the sale was on ugly stuff and 5X and 6X stuff. Still pretty pricy and I have actually dropped an X. Went to PetSmart for treats for Juneau and my dogs. Juneau is on a diet so I have to get low-cal treats that he likes. He expects his grampie to arrive with treats in hand. I ended up at Macy's where I bought a pair of Dockers pants. I don't think I am going to get next to a washing machine for a few days and I have another party to go to this weekend in Ft. Lauderdale. I have clean clothes but nothing "party presentable."

Took both dogs on a second walk. Honey gets a peppy one alone but she has to to take a slow one when Buster comes along. They both do well. I am proud to take them out. The cool weather agrees with the girl. Buster not so much. Like me, he gets achy. We visited with an ancient (more ancient) couple who had no heat last night. They are from Michigan and in a borrowed travel trailer. I gave them my best advice. "Get an electric space heater." I hope they took it. Mine are having trouble keeping up tonight. Lake Worthless Power is pumping all of 98 volts down the line. My microwave would not function this morning.

Cooked chicken breasts for us for dinner tonight. Baked potato and cream gravy for go-withs. I am suspicious of bread. I seem to fade fast when I have it.

More Jeanne Pictures

Taken at Butterfly World and edited by Jeanne in chilly John Prince Park.

These are good pictures.

No original pictures from me today unless you want to see somebody nap in the the sunshine in an RV. We have been having a siesta about 1:00 p.m. every day we are around here in the park. Troubled dreams today-worrying about people. Buster needs a nap, I need it, and the puppy benefits. Honey got two walks, Buster went on the shorter one. We walked to my reserved site and it will not do. It may not be finished. The tractor is still there but as it stands it is too short.

The cold spell is breaking records for length. They are predicting strange fruit will be falling from the trees: iguanas go into suspended animation and if cold too long, perish. They are not native to Florida but thrive and have achieved pest status. They eat the ornamental plants. Extinction is not a possibility but many are hoping to thin the ranks. It is legal to kill them "humanely." My pest, the raccoon has taken to messing things up if no food is found. Maybe the move will alleviate that.

Without a "public option" I fear the health legislation will only enrich insurance companies. All of a sudden Humana/Right Source wanted to charge me a $47.00 co-pay for my potassium tablets (on top of my premium) every 90 days. Last year there was no co-pay (and the premium was half the current one). It is not the cost of the medicine. Wal-Mart sells a 90 day supply for $10.00. This after they wanted to charge me $1100.00 for my blood pressure meds in a combination form. We changed the med to two generics that carried no co-pay. It seems to me that they are gaming the system. I'm going to get out the old pencil and Wal-Mart's drug list. Of course, if you drop the Part D, you are subject to a stiffer premium when/if you re-enroll. The banks are doing the same thing-gouging the innocent to enrich the crooks.. Republicans should be rejoicing Obama is such a weenie. Looks good in a suit, though.

Latour Art

In the cold Jeanne is focusing on the pictures she took at Butterfly World and using Roxio's Photosuite to enhance them and make collages. This is really quite nice. Worth a click to enlarge it.

Cold Facts

It is almost record cold in South Florida. We have had two "two heater nights." I have a couple of cube heaters and usually one on low suffices on the nights the blower or air conditioner aren't used. The cubes have been on low so far but tomorrow promises an even colder night. All the heaters are sucking juice out of the grid in the park. The voltage meter says 102 volts.

Sunday was devoted to domesticity. Cleaning and an early evening trek to Wal-Mart were the major activities. Good call, it was not too busy down there. I needed coffee and several other staples. Publix makes me angry with their prices-$3.00 more for the same coffee and dog kibbles.

Rick came over and visited for awhile Sunday. He was all mopy and on the pity pot. I did not tumble. Told him to look forward. Next speech is the "cowboy up" speech. Next step is avoidance. I think dependence might be setting in. Time to grow up. He is a classic case of medical expense financial ruin but mooching, emotionally or financially, is not the way out of that catastrophe.

I love my Droid phone. With Google Voice it transcribes my voice messages to text, sends them to the Droid which goes "Droid" and I can read the message, return the call or carry on.

The Canon camera got left in Deerfield. I miss it. I will fetch it tomorrow-maybe do a little laundry. Monday is Jason's work day so tomorrow is better.

Today was much the same: domesticity and keeping warm. Mornings are cold but the sunshine makes it pleasant until sundown. Honey only got a walk today. Buster had bad coughs. I gave him a Benadryl to see if it would calm his smooth muscle spasms. Inconclusive result. He seems fine right now.

Fiesta Bowl, two good dogs and a warm RV. A good evening in the offing.

Texas Hold 'Em-the Estrogen Bowl

In Texas Hold 'Em, there is an initial buy-in. In this case 20 people paid $20.00. Then the bets are all chips playing for three prizes-$240, 100. and 60. Then according to structured rules, players are eliminated until 8 players remain. It gets tense. All the strategies of poker and the game come into play. There is also a lot of laughing.

Jacqui was the big winner, Trish took second, and Viki took third. There were some bruised male egos (good natured). Brenner says "That Trish is ruthless." The dropouts either played alternate poker games or watched the Valero Bowl. The kids watched movies in the private quarters but not until they tortured us all with Guitar hero. One kid, knows all the lyrics and not a single note. Jason nearly lost it. His parents were beaming. We were cringeing. People brought their dogs too and Honey had a playdate. She really is a player.

Food was good and kind of a potluck. Jason and Lori provided chips and beverages and 10 or 12 pizza's, champagne, wine beer, apple juice, and pop. Karen brought a great salad. Viki brought nacho cheese dip, and made a cherry limeade potion. Trish brought her shortbread tarts, and others brought cookies. Several neighbors came as well as a usual core group of friends. It seemed a successful party to me. I cleaned up, refreshed things, bartended, and filled the recycle bins, etc. as well as visited with guests. Shouldn't be much left for the kids to do today. I enjoyed it. Trish said,"You certainly are domesticated." I said, "Well, if I don't do it around my house it doesn't get done." Failing to add, "Most times it doesn't get done."

Brenner represents Jameson's Irish Whiskey among other brands. The last Irish Whiskey I tasted was Bushmills, long ago, and that was enough to last until the present. Jameson's and ginger ale is a very tasty drink. Had I not a drive home I might have enjoyed a couple.

I was glad Jacqui and David came. They enjoy regular parties too. I was really glad Jacqui won. For a long while I thought she was very distant. It turns out she is painfully shy. She has a great hearty laugh when she is relaxed. "When is the next Poker Party,"she asked.
Link to pix:

Texas hold 'em- The Estrogen Bowl

Happy New Year!

New Years Eve was spent at Jacqui and David's. Click the pix for full size ones.

New Year Day was beautiful until 3:00 p.m and a blustery shower hit us. Yay, wet and we can deal with the cool.

It is gratifying to see that Rick, with prescriptions I funded, is getting better. The antibiotics are really helping. The palliatives are allowing sleep. He is looking better. The job is going well. I brought him some lunch and I think he has been "out" all afternoon. Sleep is a wonderful healer.

Old friends are arriving in the park. Joe and Pat F. arrived. I saw Cheryl and Doug. Though I am living in the "French Quarter" my neighbors are nice and warm: New Year's greetings went all around on this day.

Lori and Jason are on a roll. A Poker party is scheduled for their house tomorrow night. I will go and be houseboy (I volunteered) so both can play. They have friends in town. Most of them I know. One childhood friend of Jason's has arrived and he was a stitch: Among a very witty set of skills he can tell how many minutes from the start of any movie a sex scene occurs. He is currently a liquor company rep- I haven't seen him since Jason and Lori's wedding. He used to be a livewire. I am sure he has mellowed some. It will be interesting.

I am grateful for this relatively quiet day. Though I did not overindulge on New Year's Eve in any way, the pace of the social life is making quiet time really nice. I am a hermit, dammit!