Flatland Furriners!



Sherwin Williams top performers chillaxxin before they start barfin'

 Sherwin-Williams had a reward holiday for their top performers at the Boca Resort, (negotiated room rate $500.00 per night). My niece Sara and her husband Anthony came a little early and so we had some time with them last weekend. Jason picked them up at Ft. Lauderdale airport and we met at 234 on the beach for cocktails and dinner,  Sara seems comfortable in her own skin for the first time since I have known her (all her life)-very enjoyable visit.  Jason offered to take them out on the boat and they asked two other couples to come along.  It was minutes after they hit the open sea when two of the ladies started hanging their heads over the side. Jason turned it into a scenic excursion rather than the fishing trip it was billed as. He pulled right up to the resort dock to pick them up-very lah-di dah until the barfing began.

Jason's Sushi plate at 234 restaurant on the beach

Niece Sara with her her husband Anthony.

Sunday they were headed back home to Lubbock, Texas.

I finally connected with my friends Andre and Nicole (not the ones in the west but the retired cop and his wife.) He is a consummate fisherman and used to invite me to wonderful fish suppers at John Prince Park. I invited them down and cooked steak for them (that has always been our trade). They are looking great-very fit and enjoying their lives. Honey and Buddy played wildly, amusing us all and Buddy almost got stolen. They are working their way slowly back to Montreal after the 30th. I enjoyed seeing them. After a little time at home they will go to their summer place on a lake.

Some Wyoming friends are making tentative noises about visiting Florida. It got me motivated to unfold the sofa bed in the Florida room. I put those felt sliders under the legs so now it is a cinch to shift it a couple of feet. Then it will unfold and very little else needs to be moved. I went to Target for a little bedding- a soft-top mattress cover and queen sheets. It got a little test in the afternoon and I slept there last night. Very satisfactory. I think I will sleep there if I get four visitors at once. That leaves my queen and two singles and full bath in one wing of the house. I have a half bath in this end and with my nightly wakenings it will probably be best. Besides, it is a low bed.  and  the doggies can step right up.  Fun.

Matt finishes up Police Academy this weekend. I am thinking he will be glad it is over.
Lori is getting to decamp for Texas. Jason is working to get one of his properties ready to sell. His long-term tenants got transferred

Nephew Justin's  head injury recovery is not going smoothly. He keeps trying to escape the rehab place. Meetings were going to be held. We can hope and support but he is 24 years of age.

Monday March 19th

The mailman brought a packag from Arizona with a western motif nightlight courtesy of Andre and Nicole who are touring the west.  Andre told me once that his favorite film was "City Slickers," he wanted to live the legend.  Of course they couldn't miss the fact that I have nightlights everywhere because I need the light to orient myself in the dark. Otherwise I fall down.

Today was Luila's day to clean so I was up early to walk the dogs, and get some cleaning in before she hit the door.  I vacuum with the Dyson before she gets here to save her vacuum. She has a good one but I can get a full canister of dog hair before she even begins. The doggies and I are pretty much banished from the house while she gets after it. So, I cleaned the garage, fertilized the plants and watered them by hand-which I do once a week anyway. The girl is good- She finds dirt I don't even know about. She cleaned my keyboard!

I made soup from the corned beef broth and oversalted myself. I am in the process of desalination as I write. If I had thought....

St. Patrick's Day 2012



Cabbage head? I made corned beef and cabbage for the celebration.



Matt got to go home from the Law Enforcement Academy for the weekend. It sounds like they are working him over-very physically demanding and he was in good shape when he left for it.. Spoke to my Audrey and she enjoys her birthday presents. I really miss them.

Jason got back from Phoenix-he is on the board of a college there. Lori came early and late for dogwalking. We have good visits. Beautiful mornings to walk and daylight savings means we are pretty cool at both ends.

Justin is out of the woods medically but there are many questions: He can play video games as well as ever but he is not up to snuff on some other things. He needs to be accompanied 24/7 for awhile. Richard does not cope with uncertainty very well. (Does anybody?) One.. foot... in... front...of...the...other, gets us through most things.

Wanna see my Frangipani?

Still life: Frangipani with fly.

Since getting some positive reaction to pictures of the "compound" I posted a few more to the same web album. Much of my foliage is "rescue" from curbsides. I enjoy taking them home and seeing if I can get them to thrive. Most do well with a little water, fertilizer and bug spray. As Jason says, "Florida is conducive to life."   Friend Janet inquired as to mosquitoes and I am happy to report that while they do exist and we all use heartworm preventative for our mutts, they are practically non-existent as a nuisance.

Niece Alicia posted on her Facebook feed "Please pray for my brother who is undergoing brain surgery at this moment."  Brother Rich had a lesson in the power of social networking because calls and texts started arriving instantaneously.while he was in the hospital waiting room.

Sunday Rich described his emotional roller coaster:
Call from the hospital.: horror and panic
During the operation: grief and praying
Post-operation: relief and cautious optimism
Upon learning that the injury was a result of Justin skate boarding down Garden Creek Road without a helmet: White hot rage.

The boy is receiving good care-2 days in ICU, now attended in a room with 24/7  nursing, prospect of some rehab being necessary, but after they removed the hematoma, the brain seemed healthy enough. He is ambulatory to the bathroom but the road rash and bruises are still painful. So the cautious optimism continues... If his dad doesn't strangle him.

Stephenson's brought me a home grown green pepper stuffed with jambalaya for my dinner Tuesday. Baked a potato in the nuker and was living high-really excellent.

Week in Review- March 9

NOTE: I think I fixed the broken link in the last post-if you want to see the pictures.

Puttering-or as I like to call it-"fiddle-f___ting around:" The weather was windy or rainy or windy and rainy which I like to think was a sort of spring-cleansing. But it kept us indoors more. We did not miss a walk but we called it pretty close a couple of times and just got damp.  Honey has her breed characteristics although she is getting downright mushy with Jason and is socializing much better.

People down here put their yard waste on the parking in front of their houses. The dogs like to explore and "water" the piles. One pile attracted Honey's attention and she stuck her nose in and pulled out a big rat. She was so proud of herself I let her take it home with its tail flopped over her ear and put her in the side gate and left her to it.
After a couple of episodes of late night barking I took pavers and blocked up the access to under the shed. The dogs figured it out but the possum who was at the heart of the disturbances didn't. Honey had learned about "playing possum" from her last possum encounter so she killed this one three times. It stayed dead. They are completely creepy.

Jason and Lori gave me a birdbath which I installed and it took about 5 minutes before it was employed. Oh, they enjoy it. It makes me laugh.  I refurbed the feeder and put it out, too.

I cooked and cooked this week- made tater tot casserole for my kids and the Stephenson's across the street. Three teen aged boys in that household. We trade stuff-little gestures-plate of cookies, the occasional dinner. I made  oatmeal craisin cookies to share around the neighborhood. I think I interruptussed something next door when I delivered-I thought 1:20 on Sunday afternoon would be safe.

Made probably 10 pounds of Ziti yesterday: some to share, some to eat, some to freeze. I am getting better at that dish. My kids like it.

Lori and some of her girlfriends went to the Coconut Creek Casino to try to get on "The Price is Right" which is being taped a few miles from here. I'll hear more about that tomorrow.

My most recent cleaning lady, Luila, a native of Brazil, passed her Citizenship test with flying colors. She is a sweet and conscientious girl. Has a good eye to making things look orderly. The kids kind of insist on me having a cleaning lady- I think I am keeping things clean and in good order. In fact I clean before the ladies come and they complain there is nothing to do. Not that I don't enjoy having them. They do see things I miss (or don't care about). And it always looks and smells nice.

Thank God for Amazon.com. My little Audrey had her birthday at home this year-last year it was here. She keeps her own counsel with Matt apparently but tells Grampie what she wants. Christmas it was Moxie Dolls and stuff.  Birthday was Furreals- fuzzy toys that "do things." I would have been a complete loss trying to find them in a retail store.

03022012 FL Where we Stay in FL

It has been a year in this great house and it is now as I like it-comfy with nice things to see.
Click on the picture to see more. (I think I fixed the problem and the picture click should work now.) 

I've not been blogging a lot. Lots to tell but the "tablet" by Samsung is now my most used computer. It is wonderful for receiving, not so hot for sending. I resolve to try to do better.