Happy Easter

It's a beautiful day here with the sun shining brightly and the temperature is in the low 80's....perfect!  I hope your Easter weather is as pleasant

This past week has been an eye opener for me, learning Windows 8 is interesting.  I did manage to get my documents and pictures from old lap top to new one.  Still need to check the old one for other items I may want to keep.  Don't have all my games, but right now I don't need them.

For the last three days Jim has been working and wouldn't you know two days ago our washing machine quit working, right before the last spin cycle!  Yesterday we spent some time removing water from the tub and Jim man-handled the machine out of the closet, down the steps and out the door. We had the same problem with the last one so we won't bother calling out a repairman only to be told he can't repair it.  We will be buying another one because I love doing laundry at home.  Jim is thinking about a front loader but I'm not crazy about the idea, to much bending over.

I had to remove the window feeder because those pesky squirrels can leap long distances!  It's wonderful to hear the patter of tiny feet on the roof....  LOL  truly it is. Even Boo has gotten used to it.

I'm loving our new site!  We can feed the birds and squirrels, keep my plants out in the yard and not on the patio and on occasion, sit outside and enjoy the weather.  Those pesky no-see-ums are still out there just waiting for me to join them!  They found me yesterday and I've got some red welts to show for it.  Also, since I can park the truck, I'm also to able to drive it and go shopping alone!  I do love wandering the aisles of the grocery store picking up items and reading about them...I don't buy them, but I do like shopping for food!

Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without.  ~James C. Dobson

new computer

Being the generous man that he is, Jim bought me a new computer.  I really didn't need one as my other one worked just fine.  It was me that had problems with it!  I guess I complained one to many times.  LOL

This new puter came last Friday and Jim and I have both spent a lot of time setting it up and tweaking it.  This Acer with Windows 8 also has a touch screen (which is cool .....but).  So far I'm not in love with it.  Without going into details I can't do the same things on it that I  could with my other one.  So maybe I just need to give it more time.  I do like the lighted keyboard!  Still need to transfer some files from the other one and I'm sure as I go along I'll need other programs reloaded.  But the printer is up and running and I have Picasa for my pictures....Speaking of pictures, I have tons of them on the other computer....need to do something with those. I guess I could upload them to smug mug but that will take some time

I hope all my family and friends who live in the Midwest weathered this last storm! We did not have much of a storm here.  We did learn that some hefty gusts came though and swamped a couple boats.  When we came home from 3 Bananas our poles were down on the patio. The wind lifted the awning up enough to allow the poles to fall. Also one of my tomato plants had tipped over.  But overall we just had sprinkles and some wind.

We spent yesterday afternoon just watching movies and enjoying each others company.  As a matter of fact the last few days have been lazy ones for both of us.  Doing just the chores we needed to.

VA check in

Last Wednesday I had an early date to have my blood drawn at the Palatka VA out patient clinic.  We were on the road by 0700 and made it in plenty of time.  Since it was my first time at this clinic I had to sit through an orientation and learn their system.  I even signed up for online results and information.

Jim waited in the lounge and had coffee and doughnuts, even saving me one because I had to fast for the blood work.  My hero!  I was really hungry!!!

We left there and started shopping!  I needed some pots for tomato and pepper plants and we also needed some bird seed.  We hit Lowe's and Walmart .  By this time we were really getting hungry and decided to head towards home.  We stopped at Granny's Mason Jar for a bite to eat then headed home..

Funny thing, by the time we got home it was only 1215!  It's amazing what you can get done when you get up early enough!

We spent time outside, after Jim took a nap, filling and hanging feeders and potting plants.  It's always nice spending time together.

Thursday Jim worked all day.  Safelite Auto Glass drove up from Ocala to replace the rear window in the truck and I spent most of the day doing laundry.  Jim took a marinated cauliflower salad to the pot luck while I decided to stay home

Friday was a lovely day!  Jim only worked half the day and we spent some time outside with our afternoon coffee watching the birds and squirrels

It's strawberry season here and the stores are/were selling them very inexpensively.  So I've been buying them to freeze and use in my breakfast smoothies.   Wednesday I had bought two quarts and Jim came home Thursday with a bag full (at least two quarts) of freshly picked berries that Jessica gave him....we've been stuffing ourselves with berries!  they taste pretty good with chocolate syrup drizzled on them

Laziness sets in

No reason not to blog....just lazy I guess.  I do think about it, almost daily!  Especially when the computer is off  LOL

Let's see, last Saturday I think we had a female goldfinch at the feeders.  I only saw her twice but it led me to believe that they are migrating.  When we lived in New Orleans I only had them in winter.  Had to go north of Lake Ponchartrain to see them in all their beautiful plumage.

Jim only worked half a day and I see by my notes the temperature reached the mid 70's

On Sunday he worked all day in the office.  Not sure what I did...just the usual I'm sure.  Didn't have to fix dinner because the Tiki Bar reopened and we went down to check it out.  Jim had a brat and we both had to many beers!  But the weather was perfect for sitting on the dock and chatting with everyone.

Monday was moving day!  What we thought would be quick and easy didn't turn out that way.  Packing up and getting the rig ready for the move was the easy part.  Hitching up proved to be interesting.  Bill was helping Jim so I just stayed clear.  Apparently when Jim hooks up he leaves the truck in reverse and adjusts the hitch...well signals got crossed or something...when an adjustment was made the truck lurched and the back window was cracked

So he finally gets the truck and rig connected and moving.  Our new site is wider and much easier to get into, or so we thought...turns out there is a lot of very soft sand here and our rig is so heavy that the tires kept sinking and making deep ruts.  After two attempts of backing straight into the site we opted for an angle.  With Dan and Bill's help they put planks under the tires and we crossed our fingers hoping we were level.  Success!

We've settled in nicely and we both like this site a lot better than the last one.  Our back window faces east and looks over the road but there is little traffic in this sleepy little town.  I do have to pull the blinds once the sun tops the trees but it's only a couple hours.  I'm hoping I won't have to use the screen.  Our front 'yard' is very nice and I'll be sharing pictures as we hang feeders and place my plants....

nothing new to report

We're still here, just enjoying our daily life.  Another cold front has given us a taste of winter and my tomato plants have to be moved inside when we have frost warnings...of course I don't think it gets frosty but why chance the loss of a plant?

Jim is working in the office today.  Yesterday was just half a day for him, helping to clean the cabins.  Tomorrow he'll clean again so it will be a short day of work.  On Sunday he'll work cleaning and in the office.  Not sure why he works four days in a row...New schedule comes out on Sunday.

We said goodbye to two couples this week and had a party for them on Tuesday night.  Large gathering and there was a lot of food and everyone had fun.  One couple, Beverly and Bob, were work campers....I wonder how that will affect Jim's work schedule???

Last night's regular Thursday Pizza night was more pizza than normal!  Smaller group so less food was brought.  Had some black beans and rice along with some salads.  Kevin was kept busy cooking the pizzas everyone brought!

Boo had another 'episode' with a flea.  I only found one on him and I guess it bit him because for a few days we had to put up with him scratching like crazy.  At least this time he didn't lose any hair.  We also dosed him with some antihistamine.  It helped some but we all lost sleep a few nights in a row and that isn't good!

Yesterday I got up at ten minutes after eight!!!  I slept or was in bed for 10 hours, 10 HOURS....I cannot remember the last time I did that!  Usually a back ache will wake me between 6-8 hours of being in bed.  Jim and I have both slept better the last couple of nights because Boo is sleeping through the night and not scratching.

Do you have shopping bags?  When we lived in Scotland I bought my first reusable bag because if you went into a shop they would charge you for a plastic bag.  I use mine all the time and once I remembered to bring them along it became a good habit.  Please consider giving up plastic bags.  Buying reusable bags can be cheap or expensive.  Most stores have bags with their name on them for a low price or you can invest in heavy duty canvas bags.  And they can be used for picnics and days at the beach!

Broth

Do you like to cook?  I do and I try to put tasty meals on the table.  From the weight we've gained I think I'm doing ok   :-)  I make  a lot of food from scratch trying to avoid packaged foods.  I love my veggies which leads me to making broth!  I keep all my scraps until I have about two cups worth and then I cook them.  Of course you can use whole carrots, onions, celery etc but I keep the stems from mushrooms, skins and tops from onions, celery leaves, stems from parsley...whatever bits and pieces to make broth.

Once you've gathered all the ingredients cover with water and add peppercorns, bay leaf, a clove or two and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about an hour.   You let it cool and remove all the spent veggies.  Viola!

I use my broth to 'fry' any onions etc for recipes instead of oil.  I also use it in my morning smoothies made with vegetables.  My Vita Mix makes excellent drinks!

We went to St Augustine to go to a Seafood Festival.  the drive was interesting because it was so windy!  The route we take has a lot of farm fields and they were losing a lot of sand? soil? whatever you call it, it was like a dustbowl out there!  Along the way we saw Texas Longhorn cattle, Wood Storks and before we left Welaka, Sandhill Cranes.

As we approached the the area where the festival was being held we ran into traffic and as we drove around looking for a parking spot we discovered everyone was at the festival!  I'm not sure how long or far we searched for a spot to park our black beastie but it was a no go...so we just kept driving and stopped for a pizza and beer for lunch.

After lunch we went shopping.  Stopping at Diane's Natural Market, Camping World and Bed Bath and Beyond.  The drive home was less windy and Boo was happy to see us.  

After everything was put away we settled in with our afternoon coffee and peach pie while Boo had his dinner.  No I didn't make the pie.....it's from Schwan's but it is very tasty.  It's Terry Browns fault!!!  She told me they were good a couple years ago in the Rio Grande Valley.

Local Critters

We continue to enjoy our time here.  Jim is getting into the job.  Although he was taken on as an office worker he agreed to help clean the cabins.  He loves to clean so that's not a problem!  This past week his schedule has been weird, he worked every other day.  Since I don't drive it means he has to schlep me around for groceries on his days off  It also means if we want to do any exploring we have to plan ahead

This weekend there is Seafood Festival in St Augustine and we plan on heading there for some fun...



We had lunch at Corky Bells again, sitting outside on the deck.  It was breezy and the pelicans were all hunkered down.  There was a small alligator sunning himself which caused some folks to take pictures.  It's fun to hear there comments about 'seeing one for the first time', 'look how big' (he wasn't), 'I wonder why they let him hang around' (gee, the gator lives here!)

I had fun watching him, when we first arrived all we could see was his head.  I think he knew we were watching and decided to show himself so he could claim his territory.

For those of you with older rigs, do your floors squeak?  We have three area's that are making noises, in front of the sink in the bathroom, the entrance to the toilet and in the kitchen   Now all of these areas are used a lot and I'm wondering if it's normal for the floors to squeak.

Our new TV still needs cabinetry work.  A fellow camper (cabinet maker) has a drill bit that Jim needs but there was an emergency and we have to wait until he comes back.  

If you don't have local TV channels to let you in on the weather in your area you might want to get apps for your phone or tablet.  In the spring, especially, you need to know what the weather is like.  We also have a weather station that Jim got at Walmart.  It can be helpful for travel days, keeping you out of winds and rain, because you can always stay another day if bad weather is headed your way.

Speaking of weather, the last month has sure  been messy for a lot of folks.  We've had the cold fronts and near freezing temperature but that's nothing compared to the snow, snow and more snow that has been falling.  I wonder if that's why the price of gas and diesel keeps rising.  Driving around yesterday we saw diesel around $4.14 and as high as $4.30 (here in Welaka).

Coots on the St Johns River