washer

Don't you just love sitting around waiting for something?  After being told that a repairman would come out Thursday we waited for the call...that never came...

Kathy and I did go to Crescent City for a grocery run after lunch.  I stopped by Viva la Verde and picked up some fruit and veggies.  Then it was on to Winn Dixie for the rest of our purchases.  

Back home it was more waiting.  Around 1630 Jim called the folks who were supposed to come out...turns out they don't do our area on Thursdays!  She scheduled us for Friday....so we wait.

Last night the four of us went to the pizza/potluck and Kathy and John made a connection to do some volunteering locally.  There was a big fire going in the fire pit that the 15-16 of us enjoyed and pizza was the main course this night.  I took some chips and salsa and Bonnie brought a couple coconut cream pies.  I think it was Jessica who made the blonde brownie dish and Bob and Beverly brought a pasta salad.  I enjoyed the crisp, clear skies and all the stars, planets and planes flying high above us.  The moon was problem as were the two or three street lights we have here.

Home by 2000 and Jim found a movie to watch while I showered and tidied up the kitchen.

Friday,along with the waiting I made some potato soup.  It dipped into the 40's last night and hot soup sounded real good!  We each had some for lunch.  

After lunch I made a pot of black beans so we can have beans and rice for supper.  Sure made the house smell good! 

The afternoon turned out to be quite nice, sunshine and clear skies.  The repairman came around 1400, truthfully I didn't look at the clock.  He ran some towels through a wash cycle and declared we have a problem....he  thinks it's the circuit board so one was ordered and who knows when that will come in and the repair made.

After he left Jim took the wet towels down to the laundry and washed them.  We brought them home to dry.

We did have beans and rice for dinner and after I did the dishes we joined Kathy and John at their rig for a few rounds of Farkle... Jim didn't do so well, he even let John beat his scores!  I know I won one game.  It was fun!

Back home shortly after 2000 and I folded the laundry and showered.  Jim started playing a game on his tablet and didn't put it down until 2200 when he showered and we both went to bed.

91 days

• 7,869,382 seconds
• 131,156 minutes (rounded down)
• 2185 hours (rounded down)
• 91 days (rounded down)
• 13 weeks

Memory is begining to fade....

Is this happening to you too?  I write myself notes so I can remember to blog about them....but half the time I forget to write the note!  I don't know why I can't blog everyday, it's not like I don't have the time...I always promise myself to do better, yet I put it off.

Last Monday Jim worked in the office all day.  The cabins have been standing empty lately, so I guess you'd call this the slow season.  It was sunny but cool, low 60's.  There's a cold front coming and predictions of freezes have me wondering about the winter here.  It's only November and they're predicting a freeze!!!???  Oh Well, time will tell

Tuesday was a rainy start and most of the day was gloomy.  I couldn't put it off any longer, we needed some groceries and I had an order to pick up at Viva la Verde.  I had gotten a sample of pecan butter and needed more.  This concoction is very good!  I even got some for Sonsearae.  So after making the bed and getting dressed I headed to Crescent City.   I was lucky and dodged the rain showers

While I was gone Jim vacuumed and dusted and did the breakfast dishes.  Gotta a love a man who helps with my chores!   Of course this wore him out so he took a nap and missed the appearance of the sun around 1400.

When I defrosted the freezer the other day I found a small steak and had mentioned it to Jim.  So he said he'd like to grill out sometime this week and I had it in my mind that tonight was the night.  The rain had mostly passed and the temperature was nice even if it was dark by the time we have dinner. I fixed twice backed potatoes for us and Jim fired up the grill....don't you know halfway through the cooking process the rain started coming down pretty heavy!  His steak was cooked, whew!  But it meant cleaning the grill was tricky.  Between showers Jim managed to get er done.  

Are you a Star Trek fan?  I love most of the series and watch them whenever I can.  Tuesday we watched a couple episodes of The Next Generation

The rain continued off and on all night as this cold front pushed through.  I like it when it rains at night, the gentle sound on the roof is soothing to me.  What about you?  I'm not talking about those storms that rock the rig, but a gentle coming and going of rain pattering on the roof.

105 days

• 9,113,581 seconds
• 151,893 minutes (rounded down)
• 2531 hours (rounded down)
• 105 days (rounded down)
• 15 weeks

Weather

We had some pretty cold nights with that last front and I'm hoping that's the last of our winter.  It sure messed up the azaleas....they look pitiful right now.

Three weeks ago the azalea's were gorgeous!

Do any of you use coupons?  I print some and I take advantage of store sales.  Did you know that most grocery stores have a card you can get?  Depending on where you are you can get coupons from their website loaded on your card...no clipping!  It does mean you have to check before you head to the store.  You can also earn rewards such as money off your gas purchases.  With fuel getting more and more expensive this may be a good thing!  For the past couple of months I've been tracking my savings and with coupons and store savings I've saved enough for at least one lunch out a month...$30 or so.  I just wish I could find more coupons for produce, they're out there but few and far between. Of course the Sunday  paper has coupons also and this is where you can find restaurant coupons.  Who doesn't like eating out? Fast food and chain restaurants put out coupons to entice you.

I have found a local produce market, Viva la Verde and I'm enjoying their selection and affordability.  I concentrate on getting the locally grown and organic produce.  This week I'm getting organic celery, a pound of baby bella mushrooms (not local, but so very good!), a pound of green beans, a pound of tomatoes, 3 pounds of russet potatoes and a pound of beets, all locally grown and it will cost me just over $20...

Last month I tried a new Key Lime Pie recipe, I made it for Sonsearae's birthday when she and Chris visited.  It was a big hit!  It took month for me to gather all the ingredients again and I made another one yesterday.  Oh my!  We both love it and I know I'll make it again.  This time we have to eat it all!!!!  I'm thinking it's a good thing I have to drive to St Augustine for some of the ingredients!  It's all non dairy so for me that's great.....unfortunately it's still loaded with calories.  If you're interested in the recipe just check out the Mori Nu website

Staying put for awhile

If you keep up with us on Facebook you already know that we've decided to stay in Welaka for the next year or so.  We learned after we arrived that the owners were looking for office help but didn't want to train someone for just a few months.  So Jim talked with them and then we discussed it.  This will be good for us financially of course, but it will also allow us to explore this area in depth and hopefully see  family members who live in Florida...



This area is incredibly gorgeous.  Sunsets on the St John's River are beautiful and I've seen eagles almost every time we walk down to the dock. Our drives around the area take us past farm fields and orchards and it will be interesting to see the 'seasons'.  I know we saw some Texas Longhorns and we're trying to remember where so I can get pictures.

There are pros and cons about sitting in one place for so long.  One is I'm not near a Whole Foods store!  But I did discover an Organic Market in Crescent City just south of here.  I can pick up produce daily if I want to drive there.  But Viva la Verde buys local and regional produce and puts out a list every week and you can choose what you want and have it delivered, if you want.  I picked up our produce last Friday and I was surprised and pleased with what I got.  I will be dialing back what I order because it's way to much for the two of us.  We also have Walmart, Winn Dixie and Publix stores so we won't go hungry!

We did have to move to another site...now that we're work campers....and I'm not pleased about that.  It's right next to the office, across from the pool and  fire pit.  Lot's of foot traffic that makes Boo bark and dust from the road. But, we'll move again when another site opens up farther away at the entrance to the property. Of course being this close to the office we will see everyone coming and going!

Our weather the past few days has been chilly.  Upper 60's or higher during the day and mid 30's at night. Lot's of sunshine!  I wonder how many of these cold fronts we'll have before the heat of summer settles in?

Jim starts tomorrow and he'll work 2 1/2 days a week.  Hope I don't have to much trouble getting him out of bed on those mornings!