Dribs and Drabs

Jason has been sweating his hiney off on his properties. The Pompano place is pictured-it just gave up its tenants and is going to be rented or sold-whichever comes first. It is a fabulous property. Marble floors, jacuzzi, cedar lined walk-in closets-three bedrooms, three baths, lots of space-two car (at least) carpeted garage. I had not seen it. It overlooks the Intracoastal waterway.

Juneau knows what pools are for and takes a dip whenever. He then got his feet dirty. Jason told him to wash his feet before getting into the car-he did! He is scary smart. Don't try to fool him by spelling-w-a-l-k or anything else he has an interest in.

I was overdosing on my Coumadin. I have two prescriptions on file at Walgreen's and filled the 5mg instead of the 3 mg. Dr. Cohn called me from Orlando where he was attending medical meetings (at 7:00 a.m.!) and told me I was at 6.5 on my Protime. That is about 3 times too high. Today, after a vacation from the stuff, it is ideal-2.2.

The bad news: Heart medicine Spironalactone evidently sequesters estrogen. Consequently my breasts are enlarged and sensitive.
The good news: They are perky.

Leaping Lizards: I have lizards of all sizes-the one who sings is one who is missing a chunk of tail. Other lizards are getting same: doggie fashion with a twist. Some of them seem amenable to interspecies discourse. They seem to bask in my gentle vocalizations but scoot at any attempt at physical contact. One tiny guy likes to sit on his chair and watch me sitting in mine. Any sudden move prompts a mighty leap into the nearest plant which happens to be the only plastic one on the patio. The big green lizards tend to poop on my pavers-not appreciated. They are so dinosaur-like that I wonder at the leaping ability of dinosaurs. They would be formidable. They are also fast. Buddy is very quick but I know of no catches.

I put nice red mulch on my wall garden- 14 bags and I could use another two or three. It looks very nice though.

Just When You Find a Local Dive you like

My favorite dive burned down early this morning. The food was exceptional, the waitresses tawdry, Thursday night was biker's night, Wednesday was Karaoke. One dollar draws. A bit of old Florida.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/deerfield/fl-crabby-jacks-fire-20110828,0,7965591.story

Bah!

Good Night Irene!

Hurricane Irene brushed by-pretty strong winds and torrential rain on and off today. We had some tree limbs to step over on our evening walk. The morning walk was a little late because I had to go to LabCorp to get three pages of tests. We did not get too far before a drizzle started, and it became rain before we made it home. The dogs are fluffy tonight- me not so much. Scratchy throat tonight but I am betting on allergy origins.

Being a rainy day it was perfect to clean house except the floors didn't last very long. But the rest got done and is holdng a little better. The cleaning ladies down here tend to favor Fabuloso cleaner. Now that scent signifies clean house much like Pine-Sol used to.

Eve sent me a picture of Audrey who got French Braids, gratis, while Eve got her hair cut. She seems to be trying to admire them. I have to keep in mind she is only 6. I seem to recollect turning my head real fast trying to see my ears.

Facebook, Verizon wireless and email brought me greetings far and wide for my natal day. It is very nice. Rich called tonight. He has lost 42 pounds! Val has lost several. Protein diet that is going around. Rich just did mostly Atkins diet which has worked for him before.

Lori's mum survived her surgery for a knee replacement and is on the mend. It doesn't sound like the Pampa hospital is too shiny a place. Nothing like the Good Samaritan in Kearney-even stacked up against Boca Community, Good Samaritan shines. I've been inside a few of those places this year. That is over. Lori will be good medicine for her mom-she already has visiting shifts organized.

68!

My 68th birthday was celebrated with a few friends at JB's by the beach. Joe, Karen, David, Jacqui, O.F., Trish, and Jason was behind the shutter. The food was delectable but I fell down on the job for the entrees and so have only dessert pictures to show for it. Three of us shared a couple of nice bottles of red wine-the others enjoyed their cocktails.

Jacqui's Key Lime pie, above. Trish's fresh berries below.

Jason's hot apple tart ala mode below. David and I had Coconut banana cream pie. Mine came with a candle. It was a real treat. Very congenial people and exellent grub. A very nice celebration engineered and carried through by Jason.

After the events of my 67th year it is clear that each day is a gift to be celebrated birthday or not.

Standing Tall

Jason and his nephew Casey made the trip from Pampa to Deerfield in record time. Casey said the Beamer just goes 90 all by itself-you don't even know it is that fast

Juneau enjoys his Florida pool. His Texas pool has a water slide and lots of nieces and nephews to play with him. He lost 6 pounds this summer.

Standing tall-Casey at 17 years is on top. I am shrinking but gravity has had its way with me for 67 years. It takes it's toll. Makes your stomach big too-that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Of course the men will stretch when the cameras come out. Casey is a delight and he is enjoying his Florida vacation before school starting. Jason enjoys being an uncle. He and Lori are really good to those kids. Lori is still in White Deer. Her mum goes for a knee replacement Monday in Amarillo. She will assist her for a few weeks, then fly home. I really miss her. The doggie reunion was both funny and touching. Honey kept kissing Juneau. Buddy went nuts. They were really glad to see each other.

Jason invited Trish over to eat some of her Alaska caught salmon last evening. Trish brought wine and NY style strawberry cheesecake. I made salad, veggie and got some good bread. It was very enjoyable. Trish brought her cameras and we downloaded the pix and watched them. Whether unwitting or not she took some movies that are hilarious.

Bad Boy, Bad Boy, Whatcha Gonna Do?

The days have mostly had a quiet rhythm to them until today. I was in my study and I heard a sound that was like a book hitting the floor. I could see nothing on the floor. Then I heard a helicopter-it was circling so I stepped out the front door and watched as it circled my neighborhood and moved westward. Then I noticed a police car at Jordan's house-just sitting. Then several cars arrived, then a detective, then a Broward Sheriff Supervisor. We gave them the little information we had about our new neighbor: name is Jordan and he is a firefighter. They told us to stay inside-that meant my garage to me. The neighbors had been alert; a guy at 518, up the street thought these guys looked suspicious so a patrol car was already in the neighborhood. Jordan's back neighbors saw them breaking and entering his house and called 911. There were three of them-two ran and one was hiding in the back yard. They caught all three and hope it ends a rash of five similar burglaries. The miscreants had stashed their bicycles in front of my northern neighbors. Yes, they were black. That didn't even come up-what did come up is we all hope they are charged as adults.

Needless to say, we all reviewed our security measures- I found out who had guns, beside me, and we resolved to trade information-work numbers, etc. Neighborhood Watch without the meetings. Jordan joined the "Porch Light Club" tonight. Several of us, including the SWAT officer on the corner keep our places well lighted up. I turn on the porch light at Jason's next door property nightly. Those CFL lights use so little energy and cast a lot of light. Cheap insurance.

Walking in the Rain

This morning it was overcast and we left the house at 7 sharp and had a good walk. That is good because about 2:00 the heavens opened up with a good squall. I was napping when it started. We walked in the drizzle tonight but not very far. I had a good workout in the morning and took a trip to Target. Got to the checkout and discovered the debit card was not on my person. The clerk was ever so nice and she checked me out while I retrieved the card. After the gym, I  had stopped at Jerry's Artarama where I had left Nicole's gift of a watercolor to be framed. They did a nice job:

It hangs in the "solarium," "Florida room," or whatever you call it. A nice space with morning sun anyway. The photos don't really do it justice.

After clearing much of the garage yesterday I "created a space." From my walks I had noticed many people use their garages as a second or third patio. There is wisdom in this in that with the east-west layouts of the neighborhood. You tend to bake on one side in the morning and the other side in the evening. I had a doggie enclosure that I put across the open space so we can sit by the side of road and watch the occasional passerby. The space is evolving. It was enjoyable to watch the deluge from a dry spot.  I still need a garage space so it will not evolve too much. Fortunately after experimenting with placement, my "MyFi"- Verizon wifi device reaches the RV, the garage. the living room, and the office. The Fuji camera has an "Eyefi"card in it. These pictures were transmitted from the camera to my computer wirelessly. They just show up. Way cool.

The Inseparables

Whether two or three of us, we are a pack. Honey has grown so much in socialization. She grabs a spot on the couch and asks to be petted. The Budster was a snuggler from day one. It has taken Honey a few years but she seems pretty happy being a loving dog. Make no mistake, she is still all guard dog if a strange person or critter is involved. Bankey calls her Cujo.

The neighbors across the street live in this middle/working class neighborhood but have some spectacular toys. Trish drives a Caddy and they have another fishing boat-big enough to take to Bimini. The airboat is a five seater and there are four of them so my chances of riding in it are slim and none. But it is a fascinating piece of machinery.

Today brought a bit of break in the heat. It was overcast all day and light rain on and off. I cut up boxes for the trash tomorrow and cleaned the garage. Cleaned the house yesterday-quite a lot in the morning and dribs and drabs in the afternoon. Yesterday we had some strong winds-We almost had lift-off on the RV canopy. I did some re-engineering this morning and I think it will survive anything but a major hurricane. I am counting on the RV, well protected, to be my after storm survival shelter. It has a 7500 watt generator. I'm going to fire it up for a test run one day soon. The hurricane scare we had amounted to just that- a scare. They say to bring in anything thast could become a projectile. I was talking to Bankey aout this and looking at the stuff on my patio-he said, "You better lay in a supply of duct tape." Gave myself my quarterly haircut and beard trim today. Life is good.

Cruisers

Pictures are still trickling in of the Alaskan cruise. There is usually a formal night even on the Norwegian Cruise Line which champions "Freestyle cruising." The ship's photographer took this one. It makes me smile.

I did so much yesterday that I was up too late and slept till 9:00 this morning. Too late for a morning dog walk. They got a long one tonight- and I let them sniff and scratch to their heart's content. It is too hot even at 7:30 p.m. to do our usual "brisk walk." They play outside for short stints throughout the day-then want a drink and a good dose of A.C. That is kind of the rhythm of life here in the tropics. Siestas are good when you can get them.

Tarting Up the Fair Elante

The fair Elante shines like a mirror. Bankey ran into a little trouble so he called Melvin Philpott who taught Bankey the detailing ropes. I am impressed with the social networking. Here comes Melvin with his van filled with his equipment and proceeds to pitch right in. They finished up save for a few details. Bankey will be back Saturday. Bankey's girlfriend brought him lunch from Subway-good looking woman, two adorable little girls all "groomed to the nines" and a nice "ride." Maya, age 2.5, is Bankey's. His oldest child is 27 and being a career service person at Fort Benning. Latte got off work at the Fire Station and dropped by for a visit. He enjoyed one Corona and split for home and A.C. Emptied my icemaker keeping Bankey and Melvin hydrated.

Bankey told me tell Jason "Hi," and "this job was no BMW!" He says he misses the BMW though black cars are not the easiest to detail.

I have been washing stuff from the RV and had my regular laundry to do last night. Four loads and Jason emailed for the model number on the dryer! Fortunately I still have the box. We were told to save it. Perhaps not this long but the information was on the box. The canopy makes a huge difference in temperature in the camper. I can get some stuff done in there.

Shade for the Elante

Some backyard pictures. I was all in a sweat to paint the bare back wall when I moved in. Mother nature is doing an excellent job decorating without me. At some time-yes. I have ideas. In the meantime I am happy with the au naturel.

The sun has been brutal on the foliage. Lots of yellowing but winter is coming!

The 20 foot long canopy covers almost half of the "Fair Elante." It does knock the heat down considerably. I had a window of about an hour to be in there in the day before the canopy.. The canopy also provides a covered walkway from the garage door to the camper and beyond. Good stroke, just in time for a tropical storm.!? We will test our engineering skills. I spent some time today anchoring the canopy securely.

The entrance to doggie heaven. Just like kids they seem happiest exploring and playing out of sight of a parent. Now they have dogs on two sides to fight through the fence. It makes them feel so important and employed.

Bankey stopped by to tell me he wasn't coming to buff the RV. He said his brother said he had a good time yesterday.

Bankey to the Rescue

Bankey is going to buff out the RV starting tomorrow. I told him I bought a canopy to protect it. He offered to help put it up. It needed some elevation to clear the RV so we went to Lowe's. He is a good man to take to Lowe's because he worked at one. We bought some PVC pipe that was a perfect fit. I took him to lunch at Crabby Jack's-kind of a dive but the food is excellent. These pictures reflect how it went: Bankey put it together and I handed him screws and cut 100 m.p.h. tape.

As it came time to put the fabric on the canopy and move it, he got on the phone and called his little brother. Latte is a mechanic for the fire department and was on a day off. Banky is kindness and wisdom after his 20 years in the service. Latte is all charm and wit. Bankey doesn't drink but Latte does. Several Corona's later we finished and I do have to count it as a success. Bankey helped himself a little because he will have a little shade when he buffs the RV.  I enjoyed their company. Bankey misses Jason and Lori because he likes them and they start his week with two cars to detail and "buy my gas for the week". He was excited because he just got a new account in Boca-for Vince McMahon of World Wrestling fame. Not only does Banky detail them but he is supposed to drive each one 20 miles a week when they are not in town.