Tickled Tuesday....

We are off on our road trip north.  I will check in as I can!  My friend Shirley sent these senior citizen bumper stickers to me by email and I thought I would share the chuckles as we head out....

Wishing you all a good week!! Thanks for the safe travels prayers!  Peace & hugs.

Weekend Recap on Monday.....

I should probably just skip this post because there is nothing interesting about this past weekend.

Friday we did enjoy dinner out with Helen and Cheryl at Olive Garden. They came in for a bit to visit after wards.  I had lunch with Cindee and Shirley at Keke's and we talked for about two hours. It was good catching up with them.

Saturday, we began cat sitting for our old neighbors' cats. Millie needs insulin shots and she trusts me, so we are happy to help while they visit their granddaughter up in Jacksonville.  They return today.  Joe and I also picked up a few things at Walmart (cat food, so there is plenty while we are gone).  I started the laundry and finished on Sunday.

One of my former co-workers and his wife liked Mas Verde so much that they made an offer on a house in here and their offer was accepted!!  It will be nice having more friends as neighbors!!  They stopped in after they looked at the house again and put their offer in.  They texted me later that the offer was accepted. Happy for them.

We will be packing and loading the car today for an early start tomorrow.

I will check in as I can while we are gone, but I won't be online too often.  I will appreciate your prayers for us, for safe travels.

Thanks for your visit!  Peace & hugs!!

An Artful Sunday Stealing!!

Thanks to Bev for this weeks Sunday Stealing!  Join in the fun HERE!!

Art History

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on  

WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. You may have heard the expression, “honor among thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from, if possible. We also provide a link to the victim's questions in our "Previous Victims" widget. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from recently asked questions from a previous post. Cheers to all of us thieves!

This is a quiz I picked up a long time ago and my notes say that it was stolen from "Master of Art History Asks," but I can't find a trace of that blog today.  But the questions were interesting (a couple downright relevant!)




1. Do you look forward to the spring?  Of course.

2. Which area of the sciences do you enjoy the most?  Biology.

3. If you could own a classical statue in the form of any figure from myth, religion, or even modern fiction, who would you choose?  Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, by Antonio Canova.  Always a favorite of mine since I saw the actual maquette in person and then a copy of the original later in Florence.

4. Do you have a good relationship with your mother?  I did have. She has been gone from this life since 1995.

5. What is your favorite mythological story?  See the sculpture above!! :)

6. If you put on a big feast, what would you serve?  I would either go crazy with Italian everything or our traditional Thanksgiving feast with turkey and all the trimmings.

7. How do you have fun? (What is your favorite 'Earthly Delight'?)  I have fun visiting with family and friends, enjoying a great meal with family or friends, good conversations, making my cats purr, watching TV with Joe, going on a road trip with my honey.... I have fun every day.  I really do. 

8. Do you often look for hidden messages and meanings?  I don't look for them, but I do tune into people and things and sometimes pick up on hidden meanings.

9. Have you ever received an award or special position?  Nothing worth mentioning.

10. If a revolution was about to happen in your country, would you be part of it?  I am a Patriot and I will defend my Constitution and this great land.  I have ancestors who fought in the revolution and would do my best to make them proud.

11. Have you ever planned an act of revenge?  No.  Not worth the time or grief.

12. What is the most dramatic thing you have ever done?  Oh gosh, I really don't like drama and do my best to avoid it.

13. Do you care about your weight?  Yes, I do.

14. Is your life moving too slowly or too fast?  Much too fast!

15. Do you prefer to stay in the shade?  Definitely. I burn in 10 minutes.

16. If you could have any mural on your ceiling, what would it look like?  A blue sky with fluffy clouds...something peaceful.

17. Do you enjoy the countryside?  I do!!

18. Are you a romantic?  Not really.  Maybe a romantic wannabe....

19. What is your favorite historic subject?  Probably our early western history. Wagon trains moving west in the early 1800s.  Trains...gold rush.  One of my favorite books that I have read at least three times and is not available on Kindle is "Wanderers Eastward, Wanderers West" by Kathleen Winsor.

20. Do you prefer landscape paintings?  I like to paint landscapes but I prefer landscape photos and more contemporary paintings.

21. Are you interested in social issues?  Yes, but lately they just make me too sad to delve too deeply.

Wishing you a blessed Sunday! Thanks for visiting! Peace & hugs.

A Tempting Saturday 9....

Thanks to "The Gal" for today's Saturday 9.  I happen to LOVE the Temptations!!

I Wish It Would Rain

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: I Wish It Would Rain (1968)
... because Janelle recommended the Temptations

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's song focuses on rain. Ombrophobia -- the fear of rain -- is fairly common in children. How do you feel about rainy days?  Rainy days give me an excuse to just stay in and read or watch some TV.  Who needs to go anywhere when it's raining....at least once you are retired!!  :)

2) Lead singer David Ruffin always wore corrective lenses. Are you wearing glasses or contact lenses as you answer these questions?  I have worn glasses since 1st grade. I had contacts in my late 20s-early 30s, but got so I couldn't wear them anymore.  Glasses it is.

3) Those thick-rimmed glasses were David's trademark. When he custom-ordered a luxury car, he had the image of those glasses painted on the door. Tell us something that makes your vehicle distinctive.  My vehicle is not distinctive at all.  A silver colored SUV, just like 50% of all the other ones on the road!  My license plate does say IN GOD WE TRUST though.

4) David also had a penchant for mink. Rumor has it that he wore a mink-lined hat and even had that car upholstered in mink. If you could really splurge on anything right now, what would it be? Car? Travel? Clothes? Jewelry? (NO responsible answers allowed.)  We just splurged on our final arrangements, but I guess that is considered responsible.  I'm not a jewelry person, we're too old and decrepit for much travel....I guess maybe clothes or a new purse.

5) He sings that he badly wants to go outside. What are your plans for today? Will you be outdoors very much?  I won't be outside much today  It's still too hot to spend much time outside here in central Florida.  It is also laundry day.

6) The Temptations originally called themselves The Elgins because, in 1960, Elgin watches were the high-end timepiece of choice. Today, in the age of cellphones and FitBits, wristwatches aren't that popular anymore. Do you often wear a watch?  Every day.  I wear my watch every day.
 

7) This sad song was inspired by a real-life event. Motown songwriter Rodger Penzabene discovered his wife was cheating on him. Much to his own surprise, he didn't want to divorce or even separate from her; he just wanted her to love him and only him again. Tell us about a time when you didn't react as you thought you would. (Your story doesn't have to be as dramatic as Rodger's.)  I really can't think of a thing. I know myself pretty well and have been tested a few times. Can't think of a thing!

8) In 1968, when this song was popular, a Pittsburgh McDonald's sold the first Big Mac (two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickle and onion on a sesame seed bun). Describe your perfect hamburger.  Medium well done (not bloody, but hot pink), lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mayonnaise, and some avocado.  Add a little salt for good measure and on a nice soft bun that doesn't make everything mush out when you take a bite. Yum!!  That one I had at Posto 9 with the egg on it was yummy too!

9) Random question: When you catch a cold, do you soldier through it? Or are you a big baby?  I soldier on, but I DO take care of myself and do my best to get over it quickly and not spread it around. I've never really been allowed to be a big baby.

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!

Thanks for your visit!!  Happy weekend!  Peace & hugs.

Friday Foto Friends.....

Another Friday has rolled around and that means it is time to link up with Deb over at Breathing In Grace for her Friday Foto Friends Link-up!!  Thanks, Deb!!

This week has been a busy one, but also fun.  I decided to change my "new" laundry day so I could travel with Joe to his client's, who he visits weekly.  They have a ranch in a town farther south of us.  Since Joe is still on pain killers, I told him I would be happy to drive him down (they told me to come with him anytime I wanted to).  The plus is that these folks are also friends.  They have been to our house but we usually just meet for dinner at a restaurant.  There is a reason we haven't gone to their house.  From the front gate turn off to their house is TWO MILES of an unpaved driveway and you have to stop and open gates along the way because of the cattle (which we didn't see, except at a distance).  It was interesting and I told them that they had a little slice of Heaven right in their back yard.  AND they have horses, goats, several dogs, birds (parrots, cockatoos) and cattle.

This is on the driveway after we passed through the first gate....

(Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

Finally. we could see rooftops....

We pulled up to the house and right in front of us was this butterfly on the flower!

These next photos are from the back of the house...just lovely!!

And starting back down the drive, when Joe was done, we had to wait for wild turkeys to cross.

Yesterday, I was called back into work for a couple of hours.  The workload is still huge, getting things transferred to the college and all the kinks worked out.  It was fun seeing everyone and catching up on what's happening. I got lots of great hugs!

Today I am meeting Shirley and Cindee for lunch at KeKe's and then we are having dinner with Helen and Cheryl at Olive Garden.  I can stay on my low carb diet at both places.  Easy.

Happy Friday!  Thanks for your visit.  Peace & hugs.

Thankful Thursday....

It's Thursday and time to link up with Rebecca Jo at Knit by God's Hand for Thankful Thursday....


When I start thinking of making a list of things I am thankful for, it gets overwhelming.  I am so blessed and have so much to be thankful for.

Joe has been a trooper through his botched tooth removal, even though he is still in pain and that awful hematoma is still purple and nasty.

I am thankful that we had a good meeting at the Lakeland Funeral Home and got our final arrangements made and paid for.  Big relief for both of us as it is something we have wanted to get done for awhile now.  Done and done.  Now we will be even more greatly blessed if we don't have to use them for years and years to come!

Low carb/no sugar diets really work.  I've lost 18 pounds and Joe has lot 13.  It's not hard at all and we are determined to stick to it as we travel north!  The only exceptions will be at the corn festival (have to have an ear of corn) and for Joe's birthday (have to have a piece of cake).

We are thankful that we have a cat-sitter who we like and trust with our fur-babies and with our home. Mary Jane is a blessing!!  (We are sitting for our old neighbor's cats this weekend. Mary Jane is Ginny's sister.)

I am thankful for my blogging friends who I know I can count on for prayers as we travel north and then back home again over the next couple of weeks.  Thank you!

Wishing you all blessings on this Thankful Thursday!  Peace & hugs!

An Over-The-Moon Hodgepodge Wednesday.....

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 318

Thanks (always) to Joyce for this week’s Hodgepodge of questions.  Join in the fun by clicking on her button below!

1. Did you watch the solar eclipse?  No. Your thoughts?  It was cloudy and we were not in a good place to see it, even if it hadn't been cloudy.  We just noticed that it got a little darker like it would if it was going to rain.  Sun Chips, Moon Pies, Starburst candies, a Blue Moon beer, a Sunkist orange, or a Milky Way candy bar...what's your favorite eclipse related snack on this list? I'll have to go with Sunkist orange.  These photos were in our newspaper yesterday:

2. What are you 'over the moon' about these days?  At the risk of repeating myself...being retired has me 'over the moon'!!  What's something you enjoy doing every 'once in a blue moon'?  Going to the movies. I'm not a big fan of movie theaters but if the movie sounds really good, I am happy to go.

3. Tell us about something in the realm of science that interests you. How do you feed that interest?  I am always interested in reading about forensics, especially the study of mummies or bodies found frozen from hundreds of years ago.  If archeology is a science (archaeometry), I also love that.  I feed the interest by reading about new discoveries, etc. 

4. What are a few things you remember about going back to school as a child?  We always had to have that first day of school picture taken.  I really don't remember being nervous or scared.  I loved school, actually.  1962....... dress codes were a little different from today!!

5. I've seen several versions of this around the net so let's make one of our own...share with us five words that touch your soul and briefly tell us why.

Love touches my soul in so many ways, including faith, family, friends, pets...

Kindnesses shown to me or a loved one always touch my soul...

Peaceful moments feed my soul by allowing me to just listen...

Laughter feeds my soul! Who doesn't feel great after a good laugh...

Home is where my soul is at rest and where it is fed by all of the above and more... 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.  We are getting excited about our trip north and getting to see family and friends.  We have allowed some extra time on our trip up so we can take our time and make a couple of stops along the way to visit with friends.  If you live close to I-75 between Florida and Ohio and have any interest in a cup of coffee with Joe and me, please give me your email address so we can connect!! We already have plans to stop above Chattanooga for a late breakfast with Lynda H.

Joe and I had haircut appointments yesterday afternoon, back-to-back.  We have an appointment this afternoon to talk to 'Mario' at Lakeland Funeral Home to make pre-arrangements for our funerals.  We don't want our boys to be burdened with making decisions for us, so we are making them now.  It will also help Joe or me should one of us go first.  Not a pleasant thing, but we believe it is a necessary thing. We also have living wills and have named power of attorneys and health care surrogates.  My advice to everyone is to at least have a serious conversation with your loved ones if you can't get it done legally just yet.

Tickled Tuesday.....

I received these little ditties from my friend, Fran, by email.  Thought you might enjoy them, as I did!

Things you probably never thought about:

  * If you attempt to rob a bank you won't have any trouble with rent/food bills for the next 10 years, whether or not you are successful.

* Do twins ever realize that one of them is unplanned?

* What if my dog only brings back my ball because he thinks I like throwing it?

* If poison expires, is it more poisonous or is it no longer poisonous?

* Which letter is silent in the word "Scent," the S or the C?

* Why is the letter W, in English, called double U? Shouldn't it be called double V?

* Maybe oxygen is slowly killing you and It just takes 75-100 years to fully work.

* Every time you clean something, you just make something else dirty.

* The word "swims" upside-down is still "swims".

* Intentionally losing a game of rock, paper, scissors is just as hard as trying to win.

* 100 years ago everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars. Today everyone has cars and only the rich own horses.

* Your future self is watching you right now through memories.

* The doctors that told Stephen Hawking he had two years to live in 1953 are probably dead.

* If you replace "W" with "T" in "What, Where and When", you get the answer to each of them.

* Many animals probably need glasses, but nobody knows it.

* If you rip a hole in a net, there are actually fewer holes in it than there were before.

* If 2/2/22 falls on a Tuesday, we'll just call it "2's Day". (It does fall on a Tuesday).

And.....I am tickled on this Tuesday because the ottoman I ordered came yesterday instead of today!  Love Amazon Prime!!

It came with a tray that fits over it perfectly, which made me very happy!  That white spot you see under the ottoman is Vinny's foot. He has already claimed it as "his" hiding place.

Wishing you a good Tuesday!  Peace & hugs.

Weekend Recap on Monday....

Another weekend has come and gone too fast.  We sure had a good one though!  Joey and Darlene came down by train so they could drive Joe's car back.  They were going to get the car for Darlene's daughter, Rita, but decided to keep it for themselves.  It is more economical for Joey to drive back and forth to work than his truck.  They gave us blue-book value for it.  With only 56,000 miles on it, it is in good shape and should serve them well.  Now we will be juggling one car, which is a good thing (ultimately!).

Joey and Dar arrived three hours late, but they got here.  There were some electrical problems with the train that had to be resolved.  Their original 11:30 arrival turned into a 2:45 arrival.  Lakeland has a very nice train station. We got there for a 1:30 arrival and ended up waiting that hour + for them to arrive, but were comfortable.

Our new furniture arrived before we had to go to the train station, so everything was in place before we got them home.  We are very happy with our choices, which have more to do with comfort than with esthetics. Our new bed was also delivered at the same time. We chose a Tempur-Pedic and after three nights, we are thrilled. It is so nice to wake up without back and hip pain!

We purchased two loveseats and two recliners.  They are comfy and we are happy with the leather choice.  They are by Payton and came from Haverty's, as did the new bed.

We watched a few movies while the kids were here and we were all comfy as could be!!  I have a feeling Joe will be falling asleep in his more often than not. We still have an ottoman coming for the center of the room.  Our coffee table was just too big.  Joey and Darlene took it home with them. I'll post a photo when it comes (Tuesday).

Speaking of Joe, he is still experiencing pain in his jaw and we are thankful for the pain meds he was prescribed on the second visit to the ER.  The hematoma on his face and neck just keeps getting worse....

Joey and Darlene are doing low/no carbs so eating was easy for us to all stay on our diets.  We went out for salad on Friday night.  Darlene made pizza for us on Saturday night, using cauliflower for the crust.  It was really good!  Sunday morning we went out for breakfast.  Eggs and meat....easy peasy.

Today we are going to the VA hospital in Tampa.  Joe has an appointment with an ENT.  He needs a new hearing aid and has to be evaluated before one is prescribed and provided. That will eat up most of our day.  So happy to have those benefits though!!

Thanks for your visit!  Peace & hugs.

Interesting Sunday Stealing....

Thanks to Bev for this week's Sunday Stealing questions!  They were a little hard to answer!!  Interestingly different!  Thanks Bev!!

Something different

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on  WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types f questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. You may have heard the expression, “honor among thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from, if possible. We also provide a link to the victim's questions in our "Previous Victims" widget. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from recently asked questions from a previously post. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Here's something different for this week.  

There is a woman named "Wendy Weetabix" who wrote a blog called That's My Bix, but the last entry was from 2015.  But she has been posting random questions for the past several months on Facebook.  I went through and picked a few of them for us to answer this week.

1. What is a normal thing that took you an embarrassingly long time to learn?  How to play Cribbage (and I still don't really know how to play).

2. In what ways are you old-fashioned?  Don Williams sang it best....

I Believe In You

I don’t believe in superstars organic food and foreign cars
I don’t believe the price of gold the certainty of growing old
That right is right and left is wrong that north and south can’t get along
That east is east and west is west and being first is always best
But I believe in love I believe in babies I believe in mom and dad and I believe in you

I don’t believe that heaven waits for only those who congregate
I like to think of God as love he’s down below he’s up above
He’s watchin’ people everywhere he knows who does and doesn’t care
And I’m an ordinary man sometimes I wonder who I am
But I believe in love I believe in music I believe in magic and I believe in you

Well I know with all my certainty what’s going on with you and me is a good thing
It’s true I believe in you
Well I don’t believe virginity is as common as it used to be
In working days and sleeping nights that black is black and white is white
That Superman and Robin Hood are still alive in Hollywood
That gasoline’s in short supply the rising cost of gettin’ by
But I believe in love I believe in old folks I believe in children and I believe in you
I believe in love, I believe in babies, I believe in mom and dad and I believe in you.

3. What is the best sandwich you've ever eaten?  X-Tudo Burger

brisket and short rib patty | Manchego cheese | Pecanwood smoked bacon | sunny side egg | bacon aioli | shoestring potatoes | truffle fries.  Where did you get it?   Posto 9 in Lakeland, FL.  What made it so delicious?  Just read those ingredients from the menu!!

4. What are you currently not bragging about that you should totally brag about?  I have no idea....maybe that I held my temper and tongue during Joe's tooth pulling fiasco last week.

5. What food have you never tasted and are most interested in trying? That burger from Posto 9 would have been on the list, but now I've had it! Yum!

6. What history facts were you surprised to learn because it was never covered in school?  I had a great history teacher in school.  Can't think of much that wasn't covered, though I love history and am always interested in learning more.

7. What is something that you waited entirely too long to start or stop doing? What made you say "Why did I wait so long?"  Dare I say "retire"??

8. What socially expected thing do you hate doing the most?  I don't do small talk well and hate mingling with people I don't know.  What thing about polite society really grinds your gears?  Nonsensicle small talk.

9. What is something about your city that I should know if I'm going to visit?  That we have many amazing parks and hiking trails.  What is the hidden "must see" that you always tell friends and visitors to not miss?  The Frank Lloyd Wright buildings on the Florida Southern College campus and OF COURSE the Polk Museum of Art.

10. What do you miss most about childhood?  Being carefree and innocent.

11. What "fact" did you learn in school that is not true or no longer true?  That President Lincoln probably did not chop down a cherry tree.

12. What's your favorite piece of useless trivia?  Stewardesses is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.

13. What's your best go to homemade "lazy" meal?  Soup OR pasta.

14. What's the title of this current chapter in your life?  The best is yet to come!

15. What is a habit or practice that you learned from your childhood that you didn't realize was "weird" until you were an adult?    Dunking. We liked to dunk buttered toast in a cup of hot chocolate and had it for breakfast most mornings before school.  I still enjoy it, actually.

We are enjoying having Joey and Darlene here this weekend.  The title for the car has been signed over and starting today (when they leave) we are a one-car family.  It will take some coordination but we can do it.  Their train was three hours late on Friday, by the way. More about that in my weekend recap.

Thanks for visiting!! I'm still catching up!  Peace & hugs.