Halloween Weekend Recap...

My pictures just loaded backward, so the golf cart parade was

at dusk on Saturday.  There were only 8 or 9 in the parade but

most of them were handing out candy.  I sat in front of Susan and Chuck's

house with Susan and Dee.  Chuck and Bill were on the porch.

Earlier in the day, Susan, Dee, and I went to Lake Wales for the Pioneer Days Festival.  It was a good morning, weather-wise.  There weren't as many artists as last year which was disappointing.  It is more of a craft fair rather than art but we did see my friend, Monika, and Susan bought a few things from her.  We left there and decided to head for Winter Haven (just up the road) for lunch.  Dee and Bill lived there for a couple of years and she suggested Ovation.  

This is Dee, me, and Susan at Ovation.

This is Monika's tent with Dee and Susan shopping...

A very strange palm tree growing right beside and up through a live oak tree.

A view of the lovely Lake Wails (yes, spelled differently from the town of Lake Wales).

Another booth...

And these were the "Pioneers" who were sharing their crafts...

I actually got laundry done Saturday, between the festival and the golf cart parade.  On Sunday was Sunday school and church.  I was pretty lazy in front of the TV most of the rest of the day.  Did some food prep for breakfasts and a couple of dinners. Should have done some cleaning but didn't. Ha!  Off to work today.  No beggars in Mas Verde tonight.  More of our snowbird neighbors are back and it's great seeing them!

Have a great week ahead!!

Peace & hugs!!

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Sunday Stealing...

 Our hostess, BEV SYKES, is back!!  If you want to join in, click right HERE!

 

 When I asked Kwizgiver to do Sunday Stealing for me for a couple of weeks I had no idea I would end up in the hospital having surgery and then a lengthy recovery.  I am back now, trying to learn the intricacies of a new computer, but hopefully, this will publish. Welcome back, Bev! Glad you are home and feeling better! It took some fiddling with formats but this is what I got...

And thank you so much to Kwizgiver for all of her work!

Unfortunately, I'm having problems with my new computer and it's not letting me post an entry today. I'll get it all worked out by next Sunday.  Sorry!

1. What did you do today?  I'm doing this on Saturday evening so I went to an arts & crafts festival with my friends, Susan and Dee.

2. 5 things about where you live.  I think my readers are probably tired of me singing the praises of Mas Verde.  1. Wonderful neighbors 2. A home that I love 3. A lovely pool 4. A beautiful clubhouse 5. Close to everything you might want or need...

3. What are the must-sees sights around you?  Lakeland has lovely parks, beautiful lakes, and the largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings in one spot, close to the Gulf of Mexico and all its beaches...

4. What’s your favorite restaurant meal?  I am always ready for Asian, Mexican, Seafood, or just fried chicken.  Not the least bit picky.

5. What was the last thing you cooked or ate?  We girls went to Ovation for lunch on the way home from the festival and I had their chicken BBQ club sandwich with fries.  I've just been picking at stuff for dinner.

6. What is something you learned from your grandparents.  A love of genealogy from my Granny Kelly.  From my mom's side, I learned the love of family and reunions.

7. What’s the weather like as you are writing your postcard?  82* at 7:30 p.m.

8. Share an interesting fact you’ve learned, that most people are unaware of.  Tilapia is an invasive species of freshwater fish.  It's not worth the price you see on menus!

8. Are there any local events or festivals in your area?  I went to one this weekend. Pioneer Days, over in Lake Wales.

9. What was the last concert you attended?  Unless you count a local band at the local independent brewery, I have no idea. I don't go to big, crowded, loud concerts anymore.  Probably the biggest one was in the late 70s/early 80s to see Bette Midler.  She was great.

10. What is your favorite charitable organization?  New Paths Horse Sanctuary.  You can find them HERE and they can sure use your donation!!  They have donkeys, too!

Peace & hugs!

Come all you weary, come all you thirsty

Come to the well that never runs dry

Drink of the water

Come and thirst no more

For God so loved the world that He gave us

His one and only Son to save us

Whoever believes in Him

Will live for-ever

A Haunted Saturday 9...

Thanks to Crazy Sam for today's Haunted questions!  You can join in HERE! 

Haunted

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: Haunted (2013)

Unfamiliar with this week's featured song? Hear it here.

 

1) In this song, Beyonce sings that she's sure if a man is haunting her thoughts, she must be haunting his. Who is on your mind this morning?  This is the evening when I'm writing this but thinking back, my neighbor, Susan, was on my mind because she has been coming over to change the bandaid on my back for me.  I had a biopsy done at the dermatologist earlier this week and it needed a bandage change for a couple of days.  I wanted to email her that she didn't need to come over (at 7:00 a.m.!!!).  It is doing okay now.  I have the best neighbors!!

2) The lyrics mention her "wicked tongue." Have you said anything recently that you wish you could take back?  No, not that I am aware of and I hope not!

3) Beyonce says her lucky number is 4. Her birthday is 9/4, her mom's birthday is 1/4 and her husband's birthday is 12/4. She chose 4/4 for her wedding day. Do you have a lucky number?  I don't really think of it as "lucky" but I will pick 11.  My birthday is 12/11, and Joe and I were married on 5/11.  A good number for me!! 😀

 
4) Beyonce told an interviewer that, while on the road, she loves to eat Popeye's fried chicken and the fast-food chain offered her free food for life. She admits she's been too embarrassed to take them up on it. If you could get free food for life from any restaurant, which restaurant would you choose?  Popeyes is pretty good, for sure, but I will pick my favorite Asian Bistro, Gosh!!  Yum!

These questions will help us get into the Halloween spirit...

5) Candy corn is a trick-or-treating staple. Do you like it?  Not especially.  I don't buy it but I will pick at it if it is in a candy dish.

6) In 2019, the most popular pet costume was a pumpkin outfit designed for dogs. Have you ever dressed your pet in a costume?  No. None of my cats would put up with it.  My last dog was a collie and he would have put up with a little but I never made him suffer the embarrassment. My community is having a Halloween Pet Parade this week  (while I'm at work).

7) According to the Guinness Book of Records, the award for the highest number of jack-o-lanterns in one place went to Keene, NH, where in 2013 there were 30,581. How many carved pumpkins will be at your home on Halloween?  Not one.

 

8) In years gone by, the Irish celebrated Halloween not with pumpkins but by carving turnips, potatoes, and beets. Are any of those foods in your kitchen right now?  I have potatoes, and sliced pickled beets in the fridge.
 

9) Some Elvis fans believe they have seen his ghost hovering in the trees over Graceland. Have you ever seen a ghost?  Nope.  Not sure I want to see a ghost!!

Peace & hugs!!

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee God of glory, 

Lord of love.  Hearts unfold like flow’rs before 

Thee Op’ning to the sun above.

Friday Fotos...

 

It's been a crazy fast week and I haven't snapped many new photos so will share a few odds and ends with you. 

 My new neighbors, who bought Jill & Murray's house, went to dinner with us last night.  I drove them since they aren't familiar with Lakeland.  They are so nice, from Wisconsin, and will be here until sometime in April.  Gosh, I am so blessed to have such good neighbors on each side and across the street!! Marlene and Dwayne. No photos yet but perhaps our group will be bigger next week, at Miller's Ale House, and I'll get a group photo.

This is the flagpole outside my office building.
Looks so pretty against the blue sky.

This is my computer wallpaper at work.

It's a landscape from somewhere in Michigan.

I LOVE the old building and the beautiful colors!

This is a koozie we all got at the D'Orsaneo reunion.

Gr-Niece Jackie made them with her Cricket.

(I need one of those machines!)

See the raccoon in the palm tree?  

He was eating the 'berries' in a tree beside the office.

Most Mondays, these three people bring their horses

to ride the horse trails at my work.  I snapped this

through my office's window.

And this little guy was exploring my window...

Peace & hugs!

To Him be glory forever, Amen!

Whimsical Fashion Review 2022...

 

There isn't a linky and there aren't any rules.

Check out the Halloween dress/coat and pick the shoes you like best for the costume party!

It is all in fun and just a whimsical thing.

Photos are always from the Storybook of Dreams & Beauty.

It's actually not so scary but sure is not something I would wear on any day but Halloween!  As for the shoes/boots, count down 1-2-3 and pick the ones you like best!!  It's all in fun!

My thoughts:  The coat dress is actually kind of pretty but the black makes it over the top!!  As for the shoes, I couldn't wear any of them but I'll pick #3 for the dress.  What are your thoughts?

Peace & hugs!

Jesus loves us, this I know!!

A Halloween Hodgepodge...

 Thanks to Joyce for today's questions!  Become a Hodgepodger HERE!!

Congratulations to Joyce on that beautiful new granddaughter!!

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 481

1. In two or three sentences describe yourself to someone who has never met you.  Gosh, I really don't like doing this.  I like to laugh.  I like people.  I like to entertain.  I am a peacekeeper, but don't push me to the edge.  What you see is what you get. I can be bull- headed. I am blessed to be a daughter of Christ.  (More than 3.)

2. Will you celebrate Halloween this year, and if so tell us how?  No. We don't get beggars here in our retirement community.  Let's play this or that-chocolate candy or fruity candy? Chocolate.  pumpkin seeds or pumpkin pie?  Neither. Halloween party or scary movie?  Scary movie.  hay ride or corn maze?  Hayride.  carve a pumpkin or paint a pumpkin?  Paint a pumpkin.

3. What was something that scared you when you were young?  Vampires.  I wore a cross necklace 24/7 as protection from Bella Lugosi.  Too many Friday night Chiller Theater movies!!  Are you still afraid?  No.  Should I be?!!!

4. Your favorite soothing drink?  Hot chocolate on a chilly night. There must be marshmallows.  

5. Are you thinking about Christmas yet?  Yes.  My sister is coming down again this year!  Does this make you feel happy or stressed?  Happier more than stressed.  I am not a shopper so that part is a little stressful.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  I think y'all know that I love the Netflix show "Somebody Feed Phil".  The 6th (and last) season is out and Phil mentioned his book so I had to go looking for it on Amazon.  It came this week and is so good.  Full of recipes, behind-the-scenes stories, etc.  Makes a nice coffee table book!! I get nothing for recommending it.

Peace & hugs!!
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

An End of October Tuesday 4...

Thanks to Annie for today's questions!  You can join in HERE!

The End of October

In the Catskill Mountains/Hudson Valley of New York

 Welcome once again to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 and thank you for joining in and helping to keep it going.  It is very much appreciated.

October is fast slipping away though it seems to have only just begun!

Columbus Day is over but it will end with All Hallows Eve or Halloween.. the night before All Saint's Day when Christian martyrs are remembered and honored.   All hallows eve really means, the night before the holy martyrs' day but somehow it became associated with spooky happenings.  Let's talk about the end of October.

1. Do you give out candy on Halloween to neighborhood kids?  No.  Did you ever.. have you always?  We did at our other home but kids don't come to Mas Verde.

2. We must dress up this Halloween... Yes, you have to!   What will your costume be this year?  An older lady wearing jeans and a t-shirt!! 

3. Have you ever carved pumpkins?  Yes. Have you visited the gorgeous Hudson Valley in New York state?  No.

4. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving takes place in Sleepy Hollow a town known today as Tarrytown, NY. a lovely town in the Hudson Valley not far from the Catskill Mountains, the site of Rip Van Winkle.     The Hudson Valley is considered one of the most beautiful places in America. The Hudson separates NY from New Jersey.  Do you know the Legend of Sleepy Hollow?  Yes.  How about Rip Van Winkle?  Yes. Do you believe either could be based on true stories as some believe?  Why/ why not?  I have never heard that those stories are based on true happenings.  Why not... because I don't believe in headless horsemen or men who sleep for 20 years...

Peace & Hugs!

The moral of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is not to let superstition guide your actions and overwhelm your reason.

 

Monday's Weekend Recap...

 

First, thank you for checking in!  This past weekend is not as exciting as the reunion weekend so this one will be short!

I saw Helen on Friday, after work.  She was asleep in her room and did not want to wake up for me.  I sat with her for a bit then went in search of one of the staff to ask if she needed anything.  She said they could use sheets for her bed so I ordered those to deliver this week when I see her again.

From there, I stopped at Sam's Club for rotisserie chicken.  I got two and pulled the meat off them when I got home, frozen in four packages to use in soups or casseroles. Can't beat Sam's chickens!!

I was invited to Wendy's church picnic on Saturday morning.  They had it at one of the pavilions at Tenoroc.  Danon, Mali, and Monika were there, too. Wendy retired from FWC so that is the connection.  Now I am blessed to call her my friend.  Her church is very small and only has elderly people attending.  She said on a good Sunday, they might have 26 people.  They all brought some yummy food to share, though!  It was fun meeting some of them and there were two men who brought guitars and played some sing-along type songs.  It was an enjoyable few hours. The weather was great and I met a new friend, Suzette.  She lost her husband of 56 years a year ago so we kind of bonded over shared experiences.  I hope she gets in touch!  I didn't take pictures since I really don't know them well enough.

Dee, my neighbor across the street, brought me a bowl of soup she made.  I had it for my dinner and it was delicious!  Dee, Susan, and I are going to Pioneer Days this coming Saturday.  Mali may come with us, too.  Y'all who have been around a while might remember me going there last year with Mali.  Monika is an artist and has a tent there.  I'm looking forward to it!!

Yesterday (Sunday), I went to Sunday school and church.  Did some laundry and a little cleaning when I got home.  The usual.  

That's it and that's enough.  I wish you all a good week and thanks for coming by!! 

Sunday Stealing...

Thanks to Kwizgiver for stepping in for Bev with today's questions!  Join in HERE!

DARE

 to tell

 

 

NOTICE!!!!!  Bev's out of commission and is unable to create new Sunday Stealings.  Your guest host is Kwizgiver.

 

Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing.  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. Cheers to all of us thieves.

What type of day are you having?  I am doing this on Saturday so it has been a great day!

Was there anyone who "made your day"? My friend, Wendy, made my day by inviting me to join her church's picnic/potluck which was held at Derby Lake (where I work). Danon, Mali, and Monica were also invited and came. I made a new friend, Suzette!!

Are you liking how you look today?  I got my hair cut on Thursday. It's a good cut but it is always shorter than I like so that's bugging me a bit. Other than that, what you see is what you get!!

Have you ever eaten a bug?  Not on purpose.

Are you vegetarian?  No. I love vegetables but am a meat eater.

When was your last paycheck?  Last Friday.

How many pets do you have?  Two cats.

What kind of toothpaste do you use?  Colgate, right now.

Are you closer to being rich or poor?  Monetarily, poor. Right at it!! LOL But I am so, so rich in family and friends.

What was the last gift someone gave you?  I got a bag full of goodies when I was BOOed earlier this week and then Mali gave me a pair of Halloween socks at the picnic.

Do you appreciate that person?  I appreciate both of my dear friends. Dee for the BOOing and Mali for the socks.

Did you talk to anyone you didn't like today?  Nope.

Do you like picnics?  Today's picnic was in a pavilion and the weather was wonderful, so yes, if out of the sun and not on the ground.

What book are you currently reading?  I am still working through a set of books "starring" Tubby Dubonnet, an attorney in New Orleans.

What song did you last listen to?  I don't remember. It was in the car.

How many tabs are open on your computer?  Twelve, counting Blogger.

Are you a very stressed-out person? I won't say I don't get stressed now and then but I am not usually a stressed-out person. Stress (and worry) won't make anything better. Take a deep breath.

Peace & hugs!

Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

The Saturday 9...

 Thanks to Crazy Sam for today's questions!  You can join in HERE!

Things

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 to answer questions, however, and here are today's questions!

Saturday 9: Things (1962)

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

1) In this song, Bobby Darin is sitting beside his window, looking out onto a crowded avenue. What's the view outside your nearest window?  My neighbor's carport.

 

2) He likes to remember the romantic things he and his girl used to do, like walking in the park. When did you most recently go for a leisurely stroll?  Leisurely? It's been a long time.  Did you have a destination in mind, or were you just enjoying the walk for its own sake?  If I am walking it is to go somewhere, point A to point B.  I think the most leisurely walk I've taken recently was through the grocery store!  Sad.

3) He notes a couple holding hands. Are you comfortable displaying affection in public?  Joe and I held hands in public now and then and hugged and probably kissed.  It never made me uncomfortable.  Again... it's been a long time.  He's been gone 20 months now.  

 

4) When Bobby recorded this song, he was married to screen sweetheart, Sandra Dee. Today she is best known as the inspiration for the song, "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee." Can you name another song from Grease? Hopelessly Devoted To You.

5) Bobby loved gadgets. He was enthusiastic about his suitcase telephone, which was one of the first mobile phones. Are you an early adapter, or do you wait for new technology to be around awhile and not so new before you try it?  Now that I am older, I'm not so quick to jump on new technology, but I was using computers in the 80s and could program in DOS before most people knew what it was.  I had a Blackberry before cell phones.  Now, it is easier to let things go...

 

6) He was a chess fanatic and always kept a magnetic chess board in his briefcase, just in case he found someone who was willing to play him. Are you a good chess player?  I can play but don't know the 'jargon' or any fancy strategies... so no, not good but I do win now and then by pure luck.

 

7) He very much wanted to play Tony in West Side Story, but he didn't get the part because the producers didn't think he looked like a romantic leading man. What actor or actress makes your heart skip a beat?  Sam Elliott. Whew! 

 

8) In 1962, when this song was popular, Jack Nicklaus launched his successful golf career. Do you enjoy playing golf, or watching it on TV?  I played golf a whole bunch of years ago.  It was fun but I wasn't good at all.  I do not like watching it on TV.  Yawn.

9) Random question: Which would we find in your kitchen right now -- cookies or ice cream?  Both!!  LOL  (Always both!)

Peace & hugs!

Amazing Grace, How Sweet The Sound!!