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Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Last day of 2014


Where does the time go?  I swear the older I get the faster time passes by...

Our day started out with clouds and as the day progressed we had sprinkles, then by 1330 the misty rain turned into a gentle rain.  I hope all those who had outdoor plans for the night made indoor plans too!

Sonsearae, Jim and I went for a walk before the mist descended.  I headed home when the mist started while they continued to walk.

Jim is doing very good with his walking.  He does a mile or more each day and I'm proud of him.  I'm pretty sure he gets frustrated not being able to do a lot of activities because of his breastbone and chest muscles healing.  And he still has some discomfort in his leg where they harvested the veins for his bypasses. Overall he's looking good!

Looking back over the past year this would have to be the thing I'm most grateful for.  

We traveled and saw some beautiful places, we spent time in Vermont with our good friends Anne and Scotty.  But having Jim healthy and on the road to wellness is the best thing!

We had some beans and rice for lunch, then we both snoozed for awhile.  Jim napping on the bed while Boo and I lounged downstairs.

We had a lovely evening with Sonsearae and Chris.  Pizza, 7 layer dip, hummus and veggies for our dinner. We did indulge in a tequila drink or two.  Not sure what the drink is called but it involves two tequilas and half and half.  Pretty tasty! Afterwards we played Phase 10, a new game for Jim and I.  Don't you know Jim won!

I hope wherever you are you're enjoying the evening.  Out partying or staying at home watching TV, ring out the old year!  I hope the new year brings you happiness, good health and prosperity!


What I'm reading: From the Ashes by Jeremy Burns

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Afternoon of Shopping

How was your day?  My morning was busy....bed day.  Doing laundry and dishes aren't very exciting but necessary in our daily lives.

Our weather the past few days has been superb!  Exactly why people flock to southern Florida to live, vacation and spend time during the winter months.  

After Sonsearae worked all morning she came home, changed clothes and I hope had some lunch, then we went shopping.  She and I both love grocery shopping!  

We left around 1400 and it was almost dark when we came home!

We had to get some goodies for our New Years Eve 'dinner'...we don't party much and all four of us will probably be sleeping at midnight.  But we'll eat good before we go to bed.


What will you be doing New Years Eve?

Monday, December 29, 2014

The Tall and Small

I've been getting up to foggy mornings around here and that means a lot of humidity.  Temperatures in the 60's.  Once the sun breaks through it clears up quickly.

Yesterday we took ourselves to a park with a boardwalk on the St Lucie river.  Saw some raccoon's, a few pelicans and white ibis.  Then we drove up to Ft Pierce and picked up a Subway sandwich and enjoyed lunch overlooking the ocean.    It was beautiful on the beach.  We both like this warmth and the area is beautiful with lots to explore.

After a leisurely drive south on A1A we headed inland and home

Around here we have our fair share of birds!  These Sandhill Cranes can be seen and heard daily.  Seen from a distance you might think they were Great Blue Herons but their body is a bit bulkier and of course they have a red cap!  I'm pretty sure the Florida cranes live here year round, why would they want to leave?


We are blessed with lizards and frogs which is fine by me!  They eat bugs which include those nasty spiders I do not like.  This little guy is a brown anole and he is about 6-8 inches in length.  According to Audubon they can get almost 9 inches long.  This is an introduced species originally from Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas



What have you seen around you this week?  Santa?  Critters?  Maybe that elusive family member?  

Look around and observe your surroundings.  As they say, take time to stop and smell the roses

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Writing, in general

Do you write?  Do you send cards for special occasions?  How about post cards when you travel?

Is letter writing a thing of the past?  With cell phones and social media keeping everyone up to date on family and friends .... why bother to send a letter?

I admit I don't write many letters since my mother died.  And even then I sometimes found it a chore.

I do send post cards to my sisters and a friend, my daughter when I'm not living in her back yard.  I also send note cards.  I try to do this on a regular basis but I slack off on occasion.

I sent out a dozen or so Christmas cards.  Did you?  I only received two cards this year and this saddens me.  

Which makes me ask, do you write letters, notes or send post cards?

I think I'll try harder in the future just so I can make sure my handwriting stays legible!

Friday, December 26, 2014

Vanilla Body Scrub

Christmas is over and so what if you didn't get everything you wanted...all that matters is the fun you had, sharing with all the folks around you.  After all it is the season of giving!

We had a quiet Christmas, exchanged our gifts and had a lovely dinner.  Just the two of us.  Sonsearae and Chris went to Disney World Christmas Eve Day and came home in time for gift giving Christmas evening.

After all the hustle and bustle do you need some pampering?  You should have all these ingredients in your kitchen so just whip up a batch and give it a try!

Vanilla and Brown Sugar Body Scrub

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil (olive oil will work)
1/2 T vanilla extract
Combine sugars in a mixing bowl and mix until there are no lumps.  Add coconut oil and vanilla extract to sugars and thoroughly mix.

Store in an airtight container up to six months.


Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas Y'all!

From Jim and I,

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year

Good tidings we bring
To you and your kin
We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year!

Monday, December 22, 2014

Sunrise, Sunset

Christmas Day is almost upon us and I hope, with all the hustle and bustle that comes this time of year, that you take some time to look around and observe your world.

Look around and really see how beautiful your world is.  We're in southern Florida, so no snow for us.  We do have some gorgeous skies!

Sunrise a few days ago looking out over the cow pasture


Sunsets through the trees can be quite lovely

Thanks to my wonderful family I'm enjoying reading books on my iPad again...so far I've read three.  Most recently The Bride Price by Tracey Jane Jackson.  A romance novel so it was a quick read.  And I'm sure it was a free book as I don't normally buy romance novels.  But I love starting my day with coffee and reading.  Jim and Boo sleep in and the time is mine.


What have you been reading?

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

I've been here...

Daily....just didn't feel like typing...Life goes on and we're enjoying it.


We are set up and the space is lovely...we have a big yard to call ours.  The property is fenced in, so it's private.  Just a few feet from our front door is their back door and it's almost always open.


Every few days we hear the owls...it makes me smile when I hear them (him?).  They are big!  In a tree out front there is a big nest and I wonder if it's theirs.   Do horned owls use nests?  or hollows in trees or boxes?  In any case I'll keep an eye on all the nests I've spotted around here.


We've spent some time driving around, getting our bearings and exploring the area.  We've been west to Lake Okeechobee and east to the ocean.  The last couple of days have been perfect.  Temperatures in the mid 70's during the day, dipping into the 40's at night.

Jim is getting stronger every day.  To look at him you wouldn't know he had surgery such a short time ago. But he did and still healing and there are a lot of things he still can't (shouldn't) do.  He tries to do to much and then suffers the next day.  

Sonsearae is back working at the Post Office so we don't see her as much as we did when we first arrived here.  Chris is busy settling in as Warden.  This young couple are hard working and we love them for putting up with us and letting us stay for awhile.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Happy Birthday to Me!

The last twenty four hours have been wonderful.  

Except for the Saints losing!  I think we all stopped watching at halftime....just pitiful..

Anyway, we went to an early dinner at the New England Fish Market and Restaurant in Jensen Beach.  Sonsearae chose it because it has mussels on the menu and she knows we've been wanting some.  Apparently the Olive Garden no longer serves them.  We ordered some and I have to admit they were quite tasty!  Jim and I also shared a broiled seafood dinner that had shrimp, crab cake,scallops and Atlantic salmon along with potatoes and slaw.  Plenty of food and we brought some home.

While we were enjoying our drinks I was presented with a new iPad Air...very generous and much appreciated!  I've really missed my tablet...

Today we re-positioned the rig and got it leveled better.  I say better because of the wooden planks we used but it's still off a bit but livable.  We'll have to keep an eye on it and adjust if we sink into this thick grass we're parked on.

As we finished up Jim says we're going out for Mexican for lunch!  We spotted Dos Amigos when we were shopping the other day.  Just the three of us today as Chris was working.  We had fajitas, tostada salad and taco salad...of course we had beer and Sonsearae made us taste some Coffee tequila....have to admit it was yummy and reminded me of Kahlua

This morning Sonsearae made a vegan German Chocolate cake and we enjoyed some this afternoon with our coffee...it was outstanding!  Thank you Sonsearae for a treat I've not had for a few years.  My mom used to make this for me when I still lived at home.

I have to apologize for these pictures.  Both days we had overcast skies and I had to take pictures in poor light. I've heard the owls and spotted one the other night out by the road but this morning I saw a movement in a pine tree and searched him out.  I was pleased to see a pair of them!






The squirrel was descending a tree and I had to hurry to get my camera and take some quick shots as he traversed the trees and fence line 


Hopefully I'll see them again on sunny days

Sunday, December 7, 2014

here for the winter

Or when hitch itch strikes!

Last Thursday we packed up and headed south.  Since it was a long drive to Indiantown Florida we left around 0930.  Our drive was an easy but long one.  I-75 then the Florida Turnpike.  We stopped several time just to stretch our legs, eat lunch and buy coffee and doughnuts.  The turnpike has nice rest stops providing more than just snacks and fuel.

We got off the turnpike at Port St Lucie and drove a few miles on I-95 to reach our destination.  Chris is now the warden at Martin Correctional Institution and he and Sonsearae invited us to stay with them while Jim recovers from his surgery.  So far we like this area.  Since it's new to us we'll get to explore and check it out while we're here.

We're parked in the back yard and we need to tweak our position a bit and when we're properly set up I'll take some pictures.  There's an owl somewhere as I've seen and heard him.  So far I haven't located where he roosts at night. We've seen Wood Storks, Egrets, cattle, Sandhill Cranes and various other regional birds.  Even though we're out in the middle of nowhere, shopping isn't that far away with all the usual grocery and major stores.

According to some charts our average highs during December will be around 70 and the lows 46.  Today we're having some issues with heat....cloudy and foggy and it's only 65!

By the way Jim is doing great as long as he remembers not to overdo it!  His leg is almost healed and his chest doesn't bother him unless he lifts to much.  He's been walking more and his activity level is increasing.