Spring arrived...again!

After moving from a week of spring into mid-summer temps, it looks like spring came back and we are all happy about that! We even had one day where we could leave the back door open and use the magnetic screen for the #2doods. I sat outside on the deck all day, even brought my computer out!

There's been a change in the weather....

After a week of rain, followed by a week of hot and humid, today was a treat. A true spring day with temps in the mid 70's and low humidity. I sat on the deck for a couple of hours this morning, enjoying the fresh air and watching the #2doods play.

NOTE: Having some issues with the videos below not showing up, working on it! It appears SmugMug has changed something and I can no longer embed the videos. So, changing them to links. Sorry!



VIDEO: A nice breeze kept my chimes, well, um, chiming. LOL!

They really loved the weather, spending more time outside than they have for weeks.


VIDEO: This was the #2doods this morning...

VIDEO: This was the #2doods this afternoon...

Of course, then they needed a nap!


It was also the day the work started on Stu's future pole barn the Backend of Nowhere Garage. He's out of town so I got to monitor the work and took photos throughout the day. They still have a lot more work to do, bringing in fill dirt to level it as well as crush run to pack it down.








The pavilion part of the pole barn is due to be built in mid-July, materials for closing it in coming from the same folks. Once that is built, Stu will put out a call to family and friends to come help finish the build. That should be interesting...we've got room for two in the guest room, two in the office and 2-3 in the RV. Hee-hee! What a slumber party that will be.

He plans to chronicle the whole thing on a new blog, nothing there yet - Backend of Nowhere Garage.. We will announce it officially once he starts!

Ciao for now!

Some random photos for March

Remember our heart-shaped garden tub? Stu loves being able to soak, wash & rinse all his scuba gear in it. He even built this frame so things could drip dry.

No, not lobster. This is hasselback chicken - so simple even I could make it. Took longer for my oven to preheat than it took to cook!

This is what Siri told me when I set the timer the other day:

Discovered the silicone mini-loaf mold I bought for our 90 second Keto bread (yes, lo carb and cooks in the microwave in 90 seconds) works wonderfully for our parmesan cheese crisps (also lo carb - a great snack to take to the movies and yes, I know you're not supposed to bring in anything but we ARE on a diet). Takes maybe 90 seconds to bake!

Another new find on our lo carb diet, Sugar-Free Gummy Bears made with Jello. I finally have a chewy treat! Great little mold set of three silicone pans and three eye droppers.

Ciao for now!

Phew! A few notes for now...

No, you didn't miss our cruise blog. I've been swamped with my latest book release and some other things, so hopefully, maybe, possibly, this weekend?

Here's a synopsis of what's been up with us since we got back on Feb 12th (ten days - where did it go?):

• Uneventful drive back from Tampa other than a windshield chip
• Insurance covers windshields at 100%, got the chip repaired (yay!)
• Rain, then more rain
• Stu had a dentist appointment, one wisdom tooth extraction, two crowns
• Still raining
• I had a mammogram and was offered the new 3D mammography (Medicare pays for it)
• We both had doctor appointments. All is well with us both!
• A break in the rain, had two sunny, beautiful spring-like days!
• We closed on the sale of our property in Jamestown. Sold to RVing friends who plan to build a cabin for non-winter residency. In fact, their plans pretty much echo our original plans!
• Did all the usual daily stuff - shopping, laundry
• Watched the Olympics!
• We started a lo carb diet (lazy keto) on the 13th. We are both down six pounds!
• Raining again!

Speaking of rain - this is before it got really bad!

Stu initially thought he had either a cold or sinus issues (we've both had the allergies nail us since returning home). A week later and he's currently getting a root canal for an abscess beside the extraction. Hoping he will get to feeling better.

On the down side, our son-in-law had to have surgery to remove a brain tumor that was found when he suddenly suffered a seizure. It came back cancer but they feel they have it all removed. He is now undergoing treatment to be sure. Also, my old neighbor from back before I went full-timing let me know her husband was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, spread to the lymphs and liver. He is way too young. Another very good friend was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that has spread into the shoulder area and is currently in rehab with a fractured collar bone and two more in the hip. Lastly, a friend from Florida passed a day after entering hospice, he had a head/neck cancer and had been fighting his battle for a while. Sigh...cancer SUCKS!

The 2doods? They're doing fine...as always. Cooper lost a little weight and Murphy gained too much weight while at doggy camp. We suspect Murphy was eating some of Cooper's food. Ten days of normal eating and Cooper is back up and Murphy is slowly decreasing. LOL! I know everyone is missing their dose of the Doods, so here is a little compilation video of their indoor play this morning.

Funny story from yesterday as we headed to drop the pups at doggy daycare off before going to the closing on the property. It was early and I hadn't had breakfast so I went through the McD's drive-thru to get a cup of coffee. This was a first for the pups.

~ They didn't like the voice in a box. They barked. 
~ They didn't like the lady taking my money. They barked. 
~ And they were still barking when the coffee lady spoke to me. 

LOL! Guess we need to get out more...

I snapped a couple of photos in the doctors office. I fell in love with this hedgehog in my examining room. I want one!

And had to save this one from the waiting room.

Ciao for now!

Looking Back...Gazing Ahead

Here I sit on New Year's Eve, thinking about how quickly the last year has passed. It was a busy year and we kicked it off in January by closing on our new home here in Tennessee.  We quickly moved forward into February and March and a couple of cruises. We managed to squeeze in some improvements to our RV lot in Florida (now FOR SALE - please spread the word) before heading back to our new home in April.

We were only there for a couple of weeks, getting things sorted out and enjoying the spring blooms, when we took the RV and headed north to Maryland so I could get my cataract surgery done. Phew! All went well, here are a few posts I wrote about the experience

• Left Eye Surgery
  
• Left Eye One Day Post-op
  
• Left Eye One Week Post-op
  
• Right Eye Surgery
  
• Right Eye One Week Post-op
  

In July we traveled back to the house for the rest of the year. We then brought home a new addition! Cooper, an F1b Goldendoodle (Poodle mother and Goldendoodle father). He was 15 weeks old with scruffy coat and a shy personality. He didn't play for the first couple of days even though he was eating well.

August brought a little of this and a little of that. September rolled in and celebrated my 70th birthday. What a milestone! Near the end of the month, Stu headed off to Maryland for several firefighter events with his former coworkers plus a good visit with family.

That was when I went off my rocker and brought home Murphy as a playmate for Cooper. He was 12 weeks old and officially a Cadoodle (Rough Collie mom and Goldendoodle dad). It we thought Cooper's coat was a mess when we got it, Murphy had him beat by a mile. They hit it off immediately and have been best buds ever since.

Once Stu arrived home in October, things got a bit hectic. First he had to meet the pups, then met new friends who wanted to look at our property for sale. We did some local sightseeing with them and before they left, we closed the deal. We can't wait till they are here more of the year!

November was here before we knew it and with the sale of our Jamestown property, we made the decision to also put our RV lot in Florida up for sale. With only a few snowbirding years ahead of us, it makes sense and will allow us to travel to other areas for the next few winters. We also had friends come to visit and spend the night, that meant more sightseeing.

We both also decided to get wedding ring tattoos. I opted for a double heart that I had originally thought to get done on the inside of my wrist. Stu went with a more traditional Celtic open weave knotwork ring, similar to our gold bands. This was his first ever tattoo!

We took a weekend trip to see our friends, Earl & Pauline, and spent the day at Dollywood, their first visit. We had a blast and the weather actually warmed up nicely. Thanksgiving was spent quietly at home with a nice turkey breast cooked in our Instant pot we got a year ago.

Thanksgiving rolled into Christmas quickly and we did a little decorating, made a fun trip to Dollywood again, and, oh yeah, bought Jeremiah the Jeep (aka J.J.). Christmas was also spent quietly, getting to Facetime Chat with all our kids but my youngest daughter as well as some of the grandkids.

And now here we are at the cusp of a new year. So what do we have planned in 2018? Just a few things....

• Closing on our property in Jamestown
• Two weeks of cruising the end of January, doing a back-to-back (b2b) on the Carnival Miracle
• Getting set up with some local doctors/dentist as we slowly transition our care to this area
• Starting work on Stu's pole barn
• Continuing to work on little things around the house
• Hopefully getting the flooring replaced in the RV and some other cleanup done
• First ever Highland Games in Maryville, TN in May
• Disney in October with our youngest granddaughter
• Wedding of one of our granddaughters
• Christmas? Not sure where, but hope to be further south, maybe not central FL though

So yes, another busy year. I only have one book planned, which I truly hope to get published in late February. Will be tight, but my fingers are crossed! Then I plan to spend at least a few months READING!

Ciao for now!

December is almost gone....

Where did the month go? For that matter, where did the YEAR go???

Here's a quick catchup post for the month....we already told you about our visit to Dollywood and our purchase of a new-to-us car (JJ).

We made peanut butter (me) & chocolate chip (Stu) cookies for our mailman, the Fedex and UPS drivers, our boarding/grooming folks and the folks at our vet office. I had picked up nice holiday tins, tags, ribbon, paper, bows, etc. at the Dollar Store a couple weeks ago. They turned out nice and are now all delivered.

I shopped for groceries and a couple of little girl Christmas gifts for our new to the area friends who are experiencing a HORRIBLE move to this area. I've continued to help them via Facebook connections, getting them connected with a local group with holiday food boxes as well as finding a great free local Christmas holiday show to attend.

After we bought Jeremiah the Jeep (JJ), Stu immediately started to work on the wear & tear items that needed addressing (brakes, hoses, belts) as well as rotating the tires. He still plans on replacing the ball joints and by the time winter is over, we will need new tires. He enjoys this type of work - this was a photo I snapped on HIS BIRTHDAY (17th). LOL!

Yes, we are still loving the car! 

I continued watching Hallmark Christmas movies while Stu worked on cleaning up and reorganizing the garage. In the midst of all that, he found all our missing Christmas decorations! Too late to bother putting them up, but now I can work on sorting them into what will stay in the house and what will go in the RV.

I also found my Christmas (and Halloween) shirts, and wore a couple of them (a couple more are put away for one more year, just in case I lose weight...LOL). Here are two of my favorites, gotta love T-rex!

We don't really DO Christmas, never being all the close (distance-wise) to family and this year will be no different. We have gotten a couple of Christmas cards this year, one from family, one from friends, and one hand signed by all the staff at our vet with handwritten thank you notes for the cookies.

Gifts? We tend to order things when we need them and don't exchange gifts on birthdays or Christmas. Here are a couple of things we bought ourselves recently (okay, I bought...LOL!)

With colder weather, we have been stocking up on sweatshirts that were on sale at Kohl's. We love these! We got both zip-front and pullover. The zip-front is still on sale for $24.99 (not at quite as low a price as we managed to get but still a great deal). The pullovers are only $11.99 without any extra discounts (that are available through tomorrow). They are SO SOFT, don't shrink and are great quality.

From Amazon, I got myself a nice pair of slippers, a new fitness tracker, and got Stu two Fire Department beanies (much needed #1 & #2). I also found this great little travel charger for USB devices and this amazing add-a-shelf for one of our bathroom outlets.

The last item is still on order but should arrive next week. I know Gennita from Facebook and have followed her Brazilian Sticky man tales for some time now. Hilarious!!

ZEN AND THE ART OF BRAZILIAN STICKY & Other Roofing Tales is a compilation of hilarious stories from the real life roofer and best-selling author, Gennita Low. She has been posting the tales of conversations with her Brazilian cement worker, all told with great humor and tongue in cheek. It's now available in both ebook and paperback.

Here's wishing all our family and friends a 

Very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful Holiday Season!

Ciao for now!

How did it become December already?

I turned around and suddenly it was December? Where did the rest of the year go? How did this happen? LOL! Life continues on here...just to show you how exciting things have been, here is a partial list of what we've been up to lately.

• Stu finished winterizing the RV, well, except for our washing machine. So we continue to run the electric heat pump, keeping it 55 inside. He also winterized the washing machine stored in the barn (for his eventual pole barn)
• Stu put fuel stabilizer in the lawn tractor, lawn mower and Freddie.
• Stu started putting an insulation blanket around our water heater (under the house) and insulation wrap around all the pipes. He ran out of material so hopefully will finish it on Tuesday before the REALLY cold weather moves in next week.
• We took advantage of the great sales, mostly online. Stu got some tools, I got some decorations as well as clothes and a few other things.
• Stu hung a few outside decorations - red bows on the mailbox, Santa caps on the outside lights and stockings on the porch railing. That's pretty much the extent of what we will do outside this year.
• Entertained friends at home and were then entertained at their home.
• Cooked our first Thanksgiving dinner in our new home.
• We went to Dollywood with friends and plan to go back again the middle of December. The decorations are always so great!
• Went to a couple of movies, took the pups to doggy day care for play and grooming.
• Went grocery shopping, did laundry (lots of laundry), cleaned house - all the usual stuff.
• Cleaning nose prints off the front and back doors!!!

See? Not much exciting in our lives. The biggest thing has been to prepare for the winter weather. Here is our forecast for next week. Eeep!

The weather for the last week has been beautiful, mostly sunny which made it feel much warmer than the 60-65 degrees the thermometer read. The pups spend most of their day outside, playing, especially enjoying it when Stu is in the shed (converted to a woodworking shop).

Here's a little video I shot when Stu was out winterizing the lawn tractor and lawn mower.


We did get out for a short motorcycle ride and stopped in for lunch at Mac's Diner in Jamestown. What a treat! We will be back, good food, reasonable prices and a fascinating owner to chat with. You can see more photos here.

They have started work on the property across the street from us. We heard rumors they were putting in an RV site but we're not positive. Time will tell. In the meantime, I am enjoying our late fall/early winter sunset view. I'm afraid we may be losing it next year.

The #2doods enjoying watching them out the front door while they work. Or maybe they're waiting for mail delivery...LOL!

Murphy is in a growth spurt, his legs getting longer. We will get them weighed on Monday at the doggy daycare/grooming. They still eat separately but Murphy has good manners about it, even when he finishes first.

Now for a little fun. If you have an iPhone/iPad with Siri or one of the devices like the Amazon Alexa - ask them what they want for Christmas. Here is what Siri told me....

Ciao for now!

Busy weekend....

Early Friday morning, we loaded up the 2doods and headed to neighboring Cookeville. First chore, dropping the pups offatr doggy daycare. Stu had a 10am appointment to get his FIRST tattoo, a Celtic wedding band on his wedding ring finger. If you remember, I did mine, double hearts, a while back.

We are both really pleased with the results...and he is no longer a tattoo virgin. In fact, he is now considering a special one honoring his family history. Time will tell... Here are a few photos.





We ran errands, saw a movie [Daddy's Home 2], did a little shopping. At Sam's Club, I had to get some teddy bear love....LOL! When done, it was time to pick up the pups and head home.



At Cracker Barrel, I enjoyed the Christmas display but not as much as the GIANT Twizzlers!





An early bedtime for us all since we had to get up even earlier on Saturday. We were boarding the pups for the weekend (their first time away from home - sniff) while we headed over to see our friends Pauline & Earl. Once at their home, we drove over to Dollywood for the afternoon and evening.

They had never been and have only been living in TN for a year now. The crowds weren't bad, the weather, while windy, turned almost balmy by evening. We browsed shops, bought a couple of things, took a ride on the coal train, saw a show, watched some craftsmen at work, counted eagles in the sanctuary, looked at the beautiful light displays, walked thousands of steps and enjoyed a chatting over dinner.

We offered to take a photo of some folks attempting a selfie, and in turn, they took our photo.



We got home around 10:30, after driving through a downpour. We sat up and chatted while we enjoyed some wine, beer & frozen slushie drinks. Needless to say - we all slept well!

Sunday we all relaxed and finally, around 2pm, we headed home. It was strange to not have to worry about the pups since we weren't picking them up until Monday morning. We took advantage of that and did a major grocery shopping before we went home.

Monday was another hectic day. We picked the pups up from their boarding facility and headed back to Cookeville where they went in for a day of doggy play, topped off with baths & grooming. We ran a couple of errands including getting watch batteries replaced for me (and buying a toaster oven for Stu at JC Penney on sale - $60 toaster over for $20), stopping Verizon to get a charge removed from our bill and I even got a flu shot!

The movie today was Thor: Ragnarok. It was "okay" but not as good as the first or even the second one. That said, two new characters were introduced that we hope to see in the next movie, Valkyrie & Korg. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll leave it at that.

Now we are home, pups are sleeping blissfully (they smell so good and their fur is so soft), Stu is napping while thinking he is watching TV and I'm, well, I'm blogging.

Ciao for now!