Saturday, January 31, 2015

Cruise day!




We got to meet fellow cruisers Paul and Debbie last night for a pre-cruise dinner. Bee arranged it, and brought along PBE Patrick with her! Neither of those two can join us on the bloggers cruise. Bugger.

So my toes are ready for the onboard toe mandatory toe inspection, and the bags are loaded in the car. Instead of driving to the Port of Miami (and paying for parking), Bill is taking us to the nearby tri-rail station to try that out. We shall see how we like doing that.

We are on an Eastern Caribbean cruise this time onboard the Carnival Breeze. And we do hit a new port. Finally. Come along and join us. The weather should be fine and dandy!

Happiness is...cruising...with your best friend!





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Friday, January 30, 2015

Flashback Friday

Bells.spouses

Hooray!  Somebody jiggled the switch and got the internet working.

This is MM, his siblings, and spouses, taken at the occasion of the memorial service of their sweet stepfather, Grandpa Les (to our kids), in February 1989.  He entered our lives in 1977 and was loved by all of us.

Bells, Willards

Sweet memories.

MM and I will be making some more memories as we begin our cruise tomorrow.  I will be posting about it, so stay tuned.

WYWT!

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Jeudi is wash day!




No internet, so I can't do a TBT photo today. Bugger. Check out our local visitors instead. The kitties are fascinated by all the critters they can view out our windows...when they are not napping, that is.

Jeudi is French for Thursday, just in case you were wondering. I am working on my day words in French, just for the heck of it. And because we have so many French Canadians here in the park. I can already "bonjour" quite well, so I know they will be impressed if I can throw in a few more words. Haha.

By whatever name it is, it is laundry day.......because tomorrow is packing day! That pesky cruise begins Saturday, and we will be ready for it. Stay tuned. Who is joinin us?

I probably don't need to print out my cruise check list, but it is so ingrained in me to do so that I will just DO IT and get to checking off the items. That spells progress.

Have a ginger peachy Jeudi, y'all!

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Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Windy Wednesday




This pretty lap afghan feels good on my legs today. I won this as a door prize at the park dinner party Friday night. Lucky me, this was also the only prize!

MM dropped me off at the Walmart this morning to pick up a few things while he went over to the insurance agency to pay for liability coverage on our lots here in the park. We manage with one vehicle fairly well. Mostly. And I spent MUCH less today than he did, but we are now covered as we should be.

Our park internet is out again today. Bugger. We are both dependent upon it working, and are grateful for our smart phones in the meantime.

I didn't skate by MM's cold germs this time, but mine is minor and is just annoying. It won't keep me down! We will both be ready for Saturday, that is for sure.

For now, I need to figure out what is for lunch, and for dinner. Come on, Saturday...main dining room...Lido deck...room steward...yeah, baby!


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Sunday, January 25, 2015

Sunday smiles




Lucky us, we got to have dinner with Chuck, Bee...and the "Mayor of the Pool" but somehow the mayor missed the shot. Or MM was too fast on the trigger finger.

Anyway, we had a great time together. Hopefully, Mrs. Mayor can join us next time.

It is a long pants and jacket day here, despite the shiny sun. A few flurries flew in Mayberry, with actual snow predicted for tomorrow. Lord, thank you for Florida. Amen.

We have church this morning, and absolutely NO plans for later but to ride our bikes and take it easy. That sounds like a verra fine plan.

It will be a lovely Sunday. I hope yours is as well. Stay warm, y'all, and smile!

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Saturday, January 24, 2015

MM, the gardener

 

Staghorn

This beautiful staghorn fern is one of two that Joan gave us when they sold their Florida home and moved.  We placed them on two trees on our original lot here in the WPB RV resort, but now that we are on a different site, I wanted to move one over here.  And so MM did.  He’s a great guy.

MM wove a nylon cord through the pups and wrapped it carefully around the palm tree to help keep it anchored while the fern attaches itself to its new location.  He fed it some sphagnum moss today to make it happy, so hopefully it will like its new location.  I sure love seeing this beauty outside our windshield.   Grow, baby, grow!

Our lunch with Neal and Judie yesterday was good.  It is always fun seeing them and getting caught up on what is going on.  We are blessed with some awesome friends.  Speaking of, hopefully we will see Empress Bee tonight!

The park social committee put on a “potato dinner” last night at the rec hall, providing baked spuds and a large variety of toppings…all for a small fee of $5.  We met some new folks, and enjoyed some “old” folks…and then pedaled on back to the coach for a quiet evening.

Old people are easily entertained. 

Oh, I got a good eye check up yesterday.  Good to go for another year.  I like that.  And it is one week till our cruise.  Seven sleeps.  Oh boy, oh boy!

Make your Saturday a great one.  We sure will…and will try to stay outta trouble!

Friday, January 23, 2015

LWHS dinner




Johnnie sends out the emails to active old class members, and they show up! Several different year graduates were represented.

We had about 35-40 folks at dinner last night. The company was great, but service was awful. Benny's is NOT as good as the old Grumpy Grouper. The main dining room was pretty full as well as our private one, and the kitchen couldn't handle it. We had pity for the servers, of course, because it was not their fault.

That is Bob Miller at the table with MM...sharing the same hairdo...and lots of laughs.

We are in Paradise, so nothing is going to take away our joy, that is for sure. We are meeting more friends for lunch, and have a park dinner in the rec hall tonight. Busy Friday, but it keeps us outta trouble. Maybe.

That's it in our world today. Have yourselves a ginger peachy day, y'all!







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Thursday, January 22, 2015

TBT–August 1975

Look what I found…celebrating Brian’s birthday…BFF Joan, her son Tommy sitting next to Haley.  Stephanie next to Tommy?  Gary M. holding Brian, nephew Tim.

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Huh?  What’d you say???

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Sergio and Diane, Joan/Dan’s next door neighbors from long ago in WPB…friend Maureen in Mayberry knows them!  Small world indeed.

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Any yard party, birthday or otherwise, always involved a few volleyball games.  As a matter of fact, it was routine to have volleyball/potluck dinners at least once a month during the summer months.  It was great family fun and everyone, literally, was welcome to join us.  Good memories.

Factoid:  Joan met Dan at one of our parties…and look what happened!  He is the birthday boy from Monday, still hanging around.  And apparently so is my hairdo!

Live.  Love.  Laugh often!

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Hello, Sun!

 

Palm trees (2)

Nice seeing you again!

Name the girl group out of Detroit that had a hit in 1964 that was also a question.  Give the group name AND the name of the song.

I nailed both.

Still thinking?  MM and I both loved their music, and probably still have an 8 track of theirs somewhere.  Our kids will remember their music.

Answer:  The Supremes, and “Where did our love go?”  Ooh, baby, baby…where did our love go?  Ooh, don’t you want me?  Don’t you want me no more? 

I will probably be having this ear worm all day, but I am quite OK with that.  The sun’s shining, so I’m happy, happy!  Oh, our team had two new members last night, friends Max and Kathy from the park met us there.  We still placed third, which is not shabby.

Friend Jean-ie Weanie is having foot surgery today, so I am sending good vibes to her for excellent results and a speedy recovery.  She will be non-weight bearing for a few weeks.  Been there/done that, so I know what frustrations she will have over mobility issues.  I pray she will be up and kicking again real soon.

No cooking tonight, as we are meeting long-time friends Jimmy and Cathy for dinner.  We are looking forward to seeing them.   One of the perks of being in WPB for the winter is getting to re-connect with old friends.

I hope your day is sunny and happy.  Find something to make you smile!  You can do it.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Birthday girl!

 

Haley A, Joy, Ansley

They say it’s your birthday…and it is!  Lil Haley on L is 14 today, shown here with Joy and Ansley at the girls’ piano recital on Sunday…that we missed because we are here in warm WPB instead of being in cold Mayberry.  Bugger.  I don’t like missing these special occasions, but I also don’t like cold weather.  This is a conundrum for us, that is for sure.

Joy played the organ on some of the numbers, and I hear also sang.  She has a beautiful voice…and plays well…and said my girls did great.  No, she is not their piano teacher, Miss Angela is.  We missed a great event.

So my guy spent all yesterday afternoon napping.  He just left to go meet the guys for breakfast, so that is a good sign that he is on the mend.  Hallelujah!  He’s mighty tired of this cold bug.  He needs to be sharp for trivia tonight, so an afternoon nap might also be on his agenda.

I have two kitties sitting in two different windows, longing to go OUT.  After playing chase and tumble and romping around, I am also longing for them to go OUT, but that’s not gonna happen.  Oh…now it is nap time (for them).  Never mind.

It is overcast and projected to be that way all day, but it is still warmer (68) than Mayberry…at 30.  Yep, no birthday cake, but here is good, y’all!

Monday, January 19, 2015

Brave boy!




Perseverance is paying off! Imagine my surprise when I spied KC on the big tower...all on his own! Maybe the stinky smell is wearing off a bit. I'm thinking of putting MM's used tee shirt on one level to appeal to Miss Missy. Yeah, that should work, since she is such a daddy's girl. And no, that kitty condo is NOT staying in the moho. It will go home and stay home.

MM is feeling a wee bit better this morning, although this staying horizontal so much is making his back hurt. He sez he feels like someone has been beating on him, poor thang.

A happy birthday today to our buddy Dan. He has now caught up with us in age. For another month, that is.

Happy windy Monday, y'all! Wash those paws.

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Sunday, January 18, 2015

Poor baby...





My guy is still beached on the couch with a cold. Poor baby. Nurse Missy is usually nearby, but she is off taking a break at the moment.

We inherited the short kitty tower from a neighbor who sold their RV and couldn't get everything back to Canada. Actually, we got two towers. The other one is nice and tall. This one can also be used as a drink holder.

Of course I scrubbed and sprayed to try to rid away the previous kitty smells, but our two still are ignoring both items. I even dumped catnip on them. Darn picky kitties.

I will out-stubborn them!

And my guy will be better tomorrow. I hope.

Missy is now back on duty, bless her heart, and I am making soup for dinner.

Excitement. Somewhere, but not here. We will find it again, that much I am certain, because life is still very GOOD!


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Saturday, January 17, 2015

T minus 14…

 

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…and this will be home for a whole week!  We are both looking forward to the eastern Caribbean cruise on this beautiful ship, with our favorite Cruise Director.  My tiara is shined and ready to go.

Two weeks gives MM time to get over (another) cold.  Bugger.  He woke up yesterday feeling a little punkish and by late afternoon, he was in bed with chills.  He feels much better this morning—everything…cough, cough…being relative.  He’ll live.

Sadly, we (maybe just ME) have a funeral service to attend this afternoon of a long-time local parishioner.  She was a teacher who lived a long and happy life, so for that, we are grateful and will celebrate that life and memory.

It is sunny but a bit nippy outside with all the winds (is it March already?).  I’ll take our 72 over 43 back in Mayberry, that is for sure.

Count your blessings and stay healthy, Peaches.  Wash and sanitize those hands!  That’s your PSA for today.

Live.  Laugh.  And Love, y’all!

Friday, January 16, 2015

Fabulous Friday!




Breakfast at John G's with old friends is always a winner. Lynn and Leslie...minus Terry, who was off playing with airplane stuff. John and Claire from the Gliderport also joined us. We will see all of them again soon. Real soon. Leslie needs MM to check the back-up camera on her moho.

Next up is a visit with our financial guy and who knows what else. It is Friday in paradise; the sun is playing hide and seek with a few clouds.

All is well in our world, as we enjoy this spectacular scenery that is here on Palm Beach. Hello, Atlantic Ocean.

Life is ginger peachy, y'all! Happy Friday...make it happen.

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Thursday, January 15, 2015

TBT–Sista fun!

Sparkly sistas at BSP Georgia State convention, probably around 1992 or so (Sophia, Joy, Pam, moi, Donna):

BSP sparkly gals

Who is ready for a toga party?

BSP toga party

My ivy wreath still survives, and the grandchildren often play with it, along with my bridesmaid dress from the Tieche wedding that is even older than the wreath…I think 1980 is the correct year for their nuptials.  I have photos…somewhere…back home. 

We have many good (old!) memories!  Old photos help to rejuvenate our also old brain cells.

Joy recently unearthed these two photos and sent them to me.  Thanks for the chuckles!  We sistas always manage to have fun, no matter what we do.  We will definitely create more memories in 2015!  Sista Strong!!!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Overcast Wednesday

 

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Name all the US presidents whose last names only contain four letters.  Think about it.

Oops, Minneapolis is not a state.  I know that.  Brian is correct – Minnesota is the correct name.  Obviously, I did not proofread my yesterday’s post.  Shame on me.

Have you gotten all the presidents’ names yet?  Team Awsome-less got it right, after some serious brain searching, but the question was not for the names, but for the number of presidents:  5 (Bush x2, Ford, Taft, Polk).  We provided both.

Our team was ahead for quite awhile, but we wound up in fourth place.  Bugger.  On some questions, wrong answers count against you.  We didn’t do so well on naming the 10 most popular Grimm’s Fairy Tales, based on the wrong answer penalty.  It is hard to think under “timed” pressure, plus it’s been quite a few years since any of us had read the fairy tales.  Better luck next week, so we can become “Awesome” again.

So today is overcast and cool, a perfect day for MM to go purchase some mulch to spread around and purdy up Paradise.  I get to vacuum, so that is a great trade off of duties…Blue jobs and Pink jobs.  I’ll take the Pink, thankyouverymuch.

What’s for dinner?  I have three boneless pork chops that need fixing………..into something exciting.

What’s happening on your Wednesday?

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

States Trivia

 

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Without looking at a map, name 5 states that border South Dakota (N Dakota is off limits).

I’ll wait.

MM and I have gone to dinner and Trivia for the past two Tuesdays with Johnnie and Susan and a gang of others (different folks each week).  Anyone who knows my guy knows he HATES playing trivia, but playing as a group, he has (somewhat) enjoyed.  He even got the correct answer to a math problem last week.

As much as we travel, even the two of us couldn’t think of all the states that border S Dakota.  They are:  Minneapolis, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana.  None of us could think of Iowa, but we collectively got all the others…and our team won third place overall, down from second place the previous week.

I hope we have some good brains at the table tonight and maybe improve our standing for the Awesome Team.

Yesterday was overcast, so it was a perfect day to go see a movie, and we made a good choice.  After seeing Louie Zamperini on TV talking about his experiences in WWII (plane shot down, being adrift in the ocean for 47 days, captured and mistreated by the Japanese in POW camps), and subsequent conversion to Christianity, we both wanted to see the film Unbroken.  The movie details his life up until the end of the war, and it was very well done.  Zamperini was an Olympic long-distance track medalist in Germany (1936), and was honored as an Olympic torch bearer when the Olympics were held in Japan in 1998, just shy of his 81st birthday.  He was a mighty interesting man, and a true hero.

So now it is sunny and beautiful, just the way weather should be here in WPB…where life is good.

Wish us luck at trivia tonight!

Saturday, January 10, 2015

T minus 21…

The countdown begins until MM and I see this beautiful sight for Blogger’s Cruise 8:

Carnival Breeze fantail

We are super excited, except for the fact that our favorite Empress won’t be joining us.  Bugger to that.

Chef Vickie invited us and the Tieches down to Delray for dinner with her, Bill, and his brother Bob.  We enjoyed seeing their “new” condo overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, and all was going well until all the lights suddenly went out a little after 9.  I said that we got the hint—it was time for us to go home!  It was a major transformer that blew somewhere, because all the docked boats and other condos on their side of the waterway went dark as well.  We left, grateful for another great dinner and visit with long-time friends.  The gals reminisced about water skiing together…40 something years ago!  I think we were 12 at that time…haha.

There’s not much going on around here today.  It is sunny, windy and mid-60s, so I’m thinking that I’ll wash sheets and dry them outside in the sunshine.  I love that fresh smell.  Excitement…we haz it!

Life is just one adventure after another here in paradise, y’all!

Friday, January 9, 2015

Pot of gold!




Look what I found after dropping MM off to have breakfast with the guys. I think it is pointing me to the outlet mall to search for that pot of gold. Or does it mean that I will spend a pot of gold there? Nah, I would never do that.

But first...there is always one of those...it is hair cut time. My hair has gotten too heavy, so it's gotta go.

I liked the new ENT doc, and he gave me good news. The salivary gland is mostly back to normal, no infection, however it is my TMJ joint that is causing my locked jaw. That is exactly what I suspected, because that little bugger has been an annoyance for many years. A little anti-Inflammatory and continued heat and I will be as good as can be for an old lady. Over and out.

So MM and Johnny are gonna go kick some tires today, while I do whatever I wind up doing while I am all by myself. Win/win. I'm a happy camper.

Life is good...and will be even better when these clouds move on.



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Thursday, January 8, 2015

TBT–Baby Haley…and Abe

Mother, Don, Haley, Sandy, Dick 1972

Maytag Man and I took Haley up to the panhandle of Florida from the West Palm area so that she could meet my Mom and Don(maybe for the first time—I can’t remember for sure).  Haley was five months old, and what I remember most about this trip was the a/c going out in their house.  It was hot as only HOT can be in Florida in August.  Everyone was miserable.  Everyone!  We probably headed home early…just so that we could cool off!

It is COLD back in Mayberry this morning, officially around 4 or 5 freezing degrees.  And that, sweet Peaches, is why we are not there, but are sitting our happy selves down here in balmy 59 WPB.  MM went from shorts yesterday to flannel this morning, and that is still OK.

I have a crockpot full of potato soup cooking out on the patio already, and an afternoon appointment with the ENT.  Hopefully I will find out why my jaw still won’t open completely.  It certainly makes eating a challenge, but I’ve managed.  On the scale of things, this is preferable to the flu or many other things that could go wrong, that is for sure.  And for that, I am thankful.

Have yourselves a ginger peachy Thursday, and stay warm!

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Another Twos-day in paradise

Missy, KC keeping watch

These two long to go outside, but once out (and only in a lap), they want to go back inside—too skeery out there.

It appears that there will be NO liquid sunshine today, so Mechanic Man is taking advantage of good weather and is down at friend John’s house, working on the “toad” brakes.

Meanwhile, I have the dining room table filled up with the computer, bank statements, and other paperwork.  The kitties got pretty bored with me and are now napping, so at least they aren’t being annoying—for a change.  MM and I will each get our chores done.

Just because we are in Florida doesn’t mean that life is totally different from when we are back in Mayberry.  It is just a different location………that is warm……….but the “house” is smaller, and we only have one vehicle.  OK, the warm part seriously outweighs the negatives of the other two items!  We have definitely learned how to adjust in both small spaces and with only one vehicle.  We’re flexible like that.

Life is good…especially since we are not in Mayberry for the big chill expected tomorrow.  Sorry kiddos.  WYWH in our flip flop weather!

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Another Saturday in paradise…

And since it is Saturday, MM has gone over to the rec hall for donuts and coffee and a bit of guy bonding.  The furbabies and I are watching swaying palm fonds…in the sunshine.  Yes, Peaches, the sun has finally arrived here in paradise.

Our typical Friday night tradition while here is going to the Well for dinner.  Bill and Barbara wanted to go, so I called Bee and twisted her arm to join us.  She did!

Well folks

She’s so easy!  She and son Chuck are leaving on a cruise today, so I will be cyber-ly tagging along…and holding down the fort here in WPB while the Empress is away.  It’s the right thing to do, since we can’t actually go WITH them.  This time.

We don’t have any definite plans today, other than maybe a bit of housekeeping (thanks to furry furbabies), but I’m sure we’ll manage to do something fun…after all, we ARE here in paradise, right?

Life is breezy and easy.  WYWH, y’all!

Friday, January 2, 2015

Let it Bee...




Fabulous Bee!

Dick and I both love this gal, and enjoyed having dinner with her last night. She is cruising next week with her son...without us. Sniff, sniff.

Schedule us in the next week for another dinner, my friend!

What is up with all this rain? Every day. Enough of the liquid sunshine already! Sheesh.

I need to go to the walmart today. My list is growing. Excitement...we haz it.

Life is, well, getting better. Friends always help make it so. I declare it a great day, y'all!

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Thursday, January 1, 2015

Happy New Year!

 

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The party animals enjoyed the dinner party for a couple of hours.  I cut up my food into tiny pieces and ate some good stuff.  We stayed long enough to enjoy some music, and watched a couple of dances.  I was longing to join the dancers, but it wasn’t gonna happen.

We were asleep at 10, letting the New Year begin without us.

Happy and Healthy 2015 to everyone!