Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny brought this cutie pie to Grammie Joy! Give her some smooches for me.

The four Bells went to early service with Don and Carolyn. We are getting in our comfy clothes and heading over to their house now for an Easter feast. Lots of family will be there and of course a fabulous spread of food.

I have Marinated Roma tomatoes with garlic smelling up my fridge, ham, and carrots and parsnips ready to cook and glaze later. Yummylicious!

Life is always good with family and food!

May you each have a blessed Easter...or Passover. Enjoy wherever you are!

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Almost ready to roll

Poor lonely patio. We will see you again after Christmas. Almost done getting everything in place.



This adventure will continue in the Orlando area. Big plans!

On a sad note, long time friend Maryan died yesterday at 85. What a glorious Easter she will have! I miss her already, but she is healed and that makes me happy.

Gotta get back to work.

On the road again...soon!

Life is good, y'all!


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Good Friday…good day

It was a mighty good day when our first born came along…um, a few years ago…um, back in the ‘70s.  How’s that?  I think I was 12 when she was born, if I remember correctly.  Well, it was good except that my water broke at 7:30 AM, and she took her sweet time deciding to emerge, arriving darn close to midnight!

She turned out pretty good.  We’ll keep her!  And the rest of her family.

Love you bunches, honey girl!  See y’all soon!!!

So it is now time to put in the awnings and stow stuff in preparation for tomorrow’s departure.  We’ll have it done by the time we head over to the Tieches for a final dinner with them…and the Hierings.  Deadline.  We has it.

Last Friday here in paradise, where life is busy but good.  Smiles, y’all!

Flat furniture

Barb asked about the flat furniture:



The six-seater picnic table, side table, and two-seater high-top table...along with market umbrella...are all hiding under the wooden picnic table.



MM roped all the chairs round and round. The sun didn't cooperate, but the ropes did:



And the wood table is chained to an eye-bolt in the concrete, and now this lump is all covered with tarps and further roped down. Hurricanes beware!

Easy peasy and done. And now on to the next many projects...screen removal, etc.

At least it is sunny and cool for working. MM likes that.

Our two assistants are helping by doing what they do best...sleeping.

The leaving countdown continues. And so does my list!

Life is busy but good here in
Paradise, y'all!

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Working Wednesday

Three palms and three bushes planted (third bush is in another grouping). Irrigation fixed. Fertilizer purchased. Check.



Outdoor tables will be dismantled today and chained down to the concrete in preparation for hurricane season.

Lots of stuff to get done by Friday night. Deadline. Period. We are outta here Saturday.

Where did March go? It is almost ta-done...which I am hoping will be the case with winter by the time we get back home!

So now back to the blah blah laundry and cleaning and stuff that needs to be done...but at least there is no snow to deal with, and for that we are grateful.

Life is good here in paradise. Have yourselves a ginger peachy day, y'all, and smile while you work!

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Spring break!

Bill and teacher Vicki are down from NJ for spring break:




Tieche teachers also have spring break this week, so we met them all for breakfast this morning. Yum.

It was fun reminiscing about all the skiing good times we had here long, long ago. And remembering that Bill and Vicki were at our house for Johnnie and Susan's wedding reception in 1980...back in the dark ages! We've had lots of good times together...and it's not over either!

So now we are stopping at the big boy box store for something or other that MM needs. Still trying to get last minute projects done. Saturday will be here all too soon. The push is on! Yikes.

It's just another sunny, cool day here in paradise, y'all!

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Spring in Mayberry

Apparently spring is only a state of mind there in Mayberry.



This is Amy's deck this morning. I will be a good mom and not post a photo of our patio.

So the outdoor toilet elicited many laughs and states by passers by, but apparently no complaints...that we know of. It is now safely stowed in the Moho basement to find its final resting place in MM's shop at home. The electronic motherboard will ride in his onboard parts department.

MM has gone to the big box store for plumbing supplies for our sprinkler system here. He has many chores to accomplish before our Saturday departure. We got a really good soaking here last night, which cooled us off quite a bit.

Leaving today, Bob and Lynne miss out on breakfast with friends at you-know-where tomorrow! Not good planning on their part! Being on a river up in Sebastion is calling to them, but we understand and miss being on the water ourselves. Soon!

Have yourselves a ginger peachy final Monday in March. Life is good, y'all!



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Trailer trash

It is official. Trailer trash. We have arrived. Decorating by Dick is always scary, and this is his latest yard art:




How long before someone complains to the office, he is wondering. He entertains himself so well. Now y'all know why he is called Maytag Man...the agitator. Yep, bless his heart.

Of course it is NOT going to stay there, ppl. This is a very expensive electronic toilet that he found online nearby (lucky him) so that he has replacement parts should ours ever die...and he got it for a mere $100, cheap insurance that he will never need the parts! Smart man, MM is. Not so much the decorator though.

We leave a week from today. How did that happen??? There is still stuff to do; people to see...like these two:



Life is never dull. How are you entertaining yourself today?

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French lesson

My office assistant is busy studying French on our neighbor's TV, and not working.



He did curl up in my lap to try to redeem himself...before going on to do what he actually does best.



My inbox overflows!

So the weather mid-state is a tad chilly, so Bob and Lynne may stay and join us at the Well tonight. Friends Wade and Ginger are here to celebrate Wade's birthday in their all time favorite location. Lots of laughter and memories will be shared tonight for sure.

55 is none too warm for WPB, but it is far better than most of the rest of the country. Spring is creeping rather slowly it seems.

--Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea...

Enjoy your Friday. Life is as good as you make it, y'all!



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Palms, tables, and cake

With the truck heading out tomorrow, it got pressed into service yesterday after our tasty breakfast.

The guys swapped picnic tables from this lot with the one on the other lot we own (more on that later):



And planted the remaining palm tree on that lot where Bob and Lynne are staying:



Two tired, sweaty boys is what we had!

They deserved the tasty Cuban dinner at Havana's Restaurant last night, joined by Bill and Barb as we celebrated her birthday:




I said there was cake...tres leches...with a bazillion calories, I am sure. Barb was definitely all smiles.

Today promises to be another ginger peachy day, with a pool party here at the park later for all the owners and guests.

It's just another day in paradise, where life is good, y'all! Hope yours is, too.

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Hello, Spring!

Not that these guys know...or care:



The truck checked out just fine...



...so we headed to Coconut Grove for lunch on the water:



But first, Lynne and I did a little shopping:




She scored some new duds. I enjoyed looking. Then we picked up the truck and headed back to the mohos. And did not need any dinner.

We are heading to John G's for breakfast before the guys do some spring planting. We shall christen the "new" truck. Stay tuned, ppl.

Hello, sunshine. We missed you yesterday! It's gonna be a ginger peachy day here in paradise, y'all. WYWH!

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Miami bound…

Four Bells are off to see a man about a truck.  It will not live in Georgia!

More later on that.

Have a look at Brian’s buddy Neal, wife Kim, and cutie pie Joshua.  And off to the R is Leslie’s studio.

Speaking of off…gotta run.

Have yourselves a ginger peachy day.  We have a bit more rain expected, but that won’t dampen our spirits, unless we can’t eat at a particular outdoor restaurant Lynne wants us to eat at…but we will manage.  Somehow.  Somewhere.

Life is good, y’all!

Saturday at Willis…

Check out this great setting in Leslie’s backyard.  Lynn and SIL Jackie are chilling…or warming in their sweatshirts.

Hostess Leslie visiting with guests…

It was great meeting the new owners of our old hangar and property (Lisa in purple above).  And what sold her on our lot?  All the trees!

Thank you, Leslie, for a fabulous gathering in this beautiful setting.  We’ll be back!  She even has a “studio” right next to where we were sitting that is available for guests.  Check!

Afterward, we enjoyed a well-attended outdoor concert performed by Whitestone Band.  For free!  And the band was good.

Not to brag, but the girls won both games of marbles last night.  Yeah baby!  Maybe we can squeeze in another game before Max and Kathy leave Thursday.  What?  It is time to go already?  Dang.

Well it is Monday, so that means laundry.  Excitement.  We has it.

It’s just another day in paradise.  Have yourselves a ginger peachy day, because today is all we have.  Life is good, y’all

Happy St. Pat's Day!

Top of the mornin' to ya!

(image credit Crabby Road)

No corn beef and cabbage for us today.  Instead, we are having shrimp and other good stuff tonight, then playing marbles...4 Bells, Max and Kathy.  Sounds like a fine plan, right?  Wish us gals luck!

May your day be special, whatever you do.  Don't forget to wear your green!

Old memories…

This is mainly for our kids. 

That building on the R is our old hangar (and it is NOT small), the one Dick built in 1976, the first structure out at Willis Gliderport.  This is looking S across the runway (that Dick also helped build—he did a lot of the earthwork for it).  The building was not blue when we built it!  Most of those trees were also planted by Dick.  He’s always been a busy boy.

We four are heading out to Willis this afternoon for a wine and cheese party hosted by those same sweet folks we had breakfast with on Wednesday, Leslie and the Jenkins.  They’ve invited lots of folks from out there to join us.  Can you say FUN?

This is just another reason why we love coming back to WPB in the winter…good friends…and family!

May you always have Love to share,
Health to spare, and Friends who care.

We are certainly blessed with family and friends, and are gonna make some more good memories today.  Are you?

Life is good…if you make it so, y’all!

Sunny Friday in paradise...

The BBQ was enjoyed by all, even 2 y/o Aiden:



Lynne and I wanted to bring him home with us, but Grandpa Joe needs him to help fix equipment and do Manly stuff! What a good little boy he is. He needs to go to Mayberry and meet my wee boys!
This is proud g-grandma Sara.


Greg and Jose both worked for us for many years when Bob and Dick had the gravel pit just down the road here in FL. Great guys; lots of good memories. We watched Joe and his siblings grow up. Literally. Makes me smile.


See y'all back here next year!

So Lynne and I saw lots of mostly ugly dresses yesterday. We shall attack in a different place today, determined...on a mission. Our tootsies were tired after all the walking we did, so dinner out was doubly delightful last night.

We four, plus a few extras, head to Pirates Well tonight, since it is Friday, matey. WYWH.

Life is good, y'all! Cheers!!!

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Thursday stuff in paradise

Congrats to all our Catholic friends on the selection of the new pope!  History was made yesterday with the election of the first ever pope from the Americas.  I was glued to the TV, waiting for that white smoke to announce a conclusion of the voting.  I had a feeling that was going to be the final vote, and I was right.

MM and I were right there in St. Peter’s Square, on a beautiful August Sunday in 1997, with friends Charlie and Pat, and Bill and Rosi.  We toured St. Peter’s Church, but could not get into the Sistine Chapel, due to maintenance work going on there at the time.  Bugger.  I seriously wanted to see that, but we got something even better…Pope John Paul II came out onto the balcony to give his Sunday blessing!  We couldn’t have planned the day any better than that. 

So today MM and Bob will be off doing guy stuff, while Lynne and I go do girlie stuff…mainly looking for that MOB dress.  Wish us luck!

We will get back together later on and go meet a bunch of folks for dinner.  More on that later.  And boy is it chilly today!  No shorts; no flip flops.  Bugger.

Have yourselves a ginger peachy, warm day, y’all!  Gotta go!!!

Waiting in line...

Bob and Lynne; Leslie; Terry and Lynn...and MM, of course!

This is a popular place this morning. WYWH!

Family, friends, food...fabulous!

Life is good, y'all!!!

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Wedding gift tip

Cornhole, anyone?  I do!

I wonder if niece Heather would like a set like this?  I’ll check with Lynne…who arrives today.  Looking forward to seeing her and Bob.  And doing a little shopping for a MOB dress or two (mother of bride).  Yep, another family wedding is in the future.

Our time in this paradise is rapidly winding down, so we will be busy seeing some folks we haven’t had a chance to get together with yet.  Where has the time gone???

The car sat idle yesterday.  I stayed in and worked some more on cleaning out stuff and sorting stuff, mainly my spice drawer and rearranging some canned goods for better efficiency…and emptying my paper tray and cleaning off my desk.  Blah, blah.

MM trimmed the hedge and piddled around outside, doing guy stuff.  We each have our duties…and the kitties do their share (of getting in the way).

But today is a new day, with yet another grocery list.  I am cooking for four tonight, so I need to pick up a few things.

Have yourselves a ginger peachy day.  We sure will!

Trailer travel-ing

Dan and Joan, be safe today as you head nawth!  Rain is in your near future.

Here, we only have sun and wind, but we would take a bit of that rain, thankyouverymuch.  None in our forecast though.

So, while our friends are rolling, rolling, we’ll be…sheesh…having a day of retirement.  Sorry, guys!  Nothing NEEDS doing, well, other than the Monday load of towels.  I think I can handle that strain. 

And manage to throw a little something in the crockpot for supper.

And pedal over to the rec hall for karaoke tonight.

It’s just another day in paradise, where life is good, y’all!  WYWH!!!

How’s your Monday?

The Coffee Law

As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Not if you have a nice Contigo coffee mug!  Wait…I don’t have a boss, so no worries, regardless of container.

And hubby got his very own Contigo mug of coffee delivered to bed.  He’s got himself a good woman!

I am missing that hour of sleep, so the coffee might be helpful during church this morning…not that Paul+ ever gives a boring sermon!

So I wound up rearranging some stuff yesterday, always trying to make the moho more efficient…and less cluttered.  Then I visited one of my fave discount stores and might have accidently bought a bauble or two…OK, so it was a tad more than two, but they were bargains.  And some will be gifts.  Early shopping!

The park BBQ was excellent last night, and very well attended—192 folks!  Plus a little line dancing afterward by yours truly, not MM.  He doesn’t do that.  No way.  Bless his heart.

Nothing special planned today, but it will still be a fabulous day here in paradise.  How could it not be?

Life is good, y’all!  If you want it to be…

Piece of pizza!

This was yummy-licious, and not a morsel was left.  Crisp crust, thinly-sliced tomatoes, black olives, spinach, onions, garlic, and feta cheese…umm good!

And our companions were even better—Tieches, John and Catey, and Bill and Jeannie—plus, my new/old glasses were hand delivered to me!  Welcome back to where you belong…and now for the re-adjustment.  Blink, blink.

I played barber, however MM chickened out on snipping my locks, so I headed over to the closest cutting place for a shape up.  She listened and only snipped where I asked.  What a concept!  I am maybe letting it grow out a bit.  I know—women and hair—always changing!

Johnnie and son Jonathan just picked up MM for a boys day out—helping friend Mark with some wiring on his house remodel.  Jonathan is a whiz kid on getting a house wired for modern technology, so Mark is gonna love his results!

Home alone, well, with two sleeping kitties.  No dinner to fix (BBQ party at the rec hall tonight).  What shall I do?  What shall I do?  Hmm…

I shall think of something.  Or I could do nothing…nothing but read!

But first…the sheets need to be removed and washed.

Reality always comes first.

Don’t forget to Spring Forward tonight…and have yourselves a ginger peachy day, y’all!

Shimmy, shake shake

Everything loaded up and off we went for the hour drive to our luncheon destination yesterday.

Hmm, there wasn’t enough tongue weight on the trailer, even with the toolbox lightly filled, so there was a bit of “fishtailing” for that whole hour.  No big deal.  MM is a great driver and there was no danger, just annoyance, but something had to be done, because we couldn’t have our friends have this problem for the long drive back to Mayberry.

So, see the difference?

It’s a good thing we were early.  Mechanic Man removed the two front tires, and placed them on the trailer for added weight…two extra spares in case they are needed.  Smart man, that MM. 

Dan and Joan are the absolute bestest of friends!  It was sooo good seeing them.  Dan, of course, has unlimited use of said trailer…but he would have had that even if he didn’t haul it home.  Amy and Jason will welcome having that awning on their deck a bit sooner than waiting on our arrival with it.  We all thank you both for this huge favor!

Check out that sky—no clouds!  It is still beautiful today, and on the cool side, but not so windy that it presents a problem to put MM on the patio and give him a wee trim around his ears today.  The barber missed a few pesky hairs.

We will meet the Tieches for pizza tonight.  Christine loves when we come to town so that she can share a Greek pizza with us, since her parents don’t like that one.  More good times ahead.

And now back to the regularly scheduled un-fun laundry.

Have yourselves a ginger peachy day.  Life is good, y’all!

Ready, set, go!

We picked up the tilt trailer and brought it here to the park after lunch so MM could load up the awning, install the toolbox, and batten everything down. Check.



So what next, you ask? We hook this up and head a bit up the road to meet Dan and Joan for lunch, and turn the trailer over to them for Mayberry delivery. Have I mentioned what great friends they are? Love, love them. Looking forward to seeing both of them shortly.

They are down for a family wedding, so we won't get a whole lot of time with them. We will take what we can get, of course.

It is chilly but sunny, with prospects for an upcoming major hugfest.

Life is definitely good, y'all! Food and friends are a winning combination. Get yours today!

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Windy Wednesday

Overcast and windy and a good day to spoil a gal. You will notice it is not me!




Actually, we are heading to Home Depot, then meeting Neal and Judie for lunch.

Roads are dangerous, so schools are closed back in Mayberry. Our 67 is A-OK with us!

Be careful, precious ones. Hugs and purrs to all.

Life is good, y'all!

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Another day in paradise

And we have more wind and a little climb upward in the temps, but not much.  Yet.

We are enjoying a bowl of steel cut oatmeal with apples and a touch of brown sugar.  It goes down good on a chilly morning.

Friend Bee called just as I was about to fix lunch yesterday, and invited us to come join her.  That was a much better offer!  It was sooo good seeing that sweet lady.  Yes indeedy, she has “girly upped” the castle, and it looks mighty fine.

I never made it to the Walmart, but that was OK.  I shall go shortly…with a longer list.  I did finish up my online course, which was dealing with sexual abuse and the (hopeful) prevention thereof, as a diocesan requirement for church leaders.  Not a fun class, but very informative…and now done.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things that money can’t buy.

Today, we are rich in sunshine.  That makes me smile!

Have yourselves a ginger peachy day.  We sure will!

Windy Monday

Brian sent me this photo from his porch in Mayberry.  Brrr.

It is a perfect 72 here in WPB—inside the moho!  Man, is it windy.  March has truly arrived…with it being about 55 outside now.  Even our Quebec neighbors are sporting long pants and jackets today!

MM picked up the toolbox (definitely not new) to go on the trailer.  It wound up being physically located N of us, so I stayed home and worked on an online class I need to take while he did pick up duty.  We are trying to get our ducks in a row.

We have to run to the Walmart today, then I plan to finish up the last of the online class sessions this afternoon and get back to the Outlander Series.

I’m thinking a bowl of chili for dinner tonight…ahead of karaoke.  No, we are definitely not performing, but are going over to the rec hall to cheer on our friend Bill.

Excitement.  We has it.

Life is good, y’all!  Have yourselves a warm, ginger peachy day.

Sunday in paradise

Yep. We will take this over 27 in Mayberry.



Heading in to church, then to look at a tool box for the trailer.

Excitement. We has it. Maytag Man knows how to show a gal a good time. WYWH!

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Saturday, no shorts!

This was MM yesterday, entertaining the neighbors.  Well, that was not his intent, but that is what happened.

He was actually unwrapping the 32’ awning he recently purchased for Amy and Jason’s deck back in Mayberry (great price).  He unbolted the center pieces so that it will now be half length in order to fit on the trailer (that he has been working on), which will go back to Mayberry next week.  Without us.  More on that later.

Thankfully, MM did not split his pants…nor the canvas…which is now drying out…if the rain will quit:

With today being chilly, I have declared it a soup day and will try out a recipe for potato/kale/beans.  Of course I will post it if it is worthy of posting.

That’s about as exciting as our day will get, but we are always open for last-minute changes.  That’s the way we roll.

Life is good, even on a gray, chilly day here in paradise. 

You  know you are getting
Old  when everything either
Dries  up or leaks.

C is for cute!

Today is silly socks day at school (but it is every day for this cutie pie).  Will loves dressing silly.  And in shorts, even when it is 32 outside!  Amy laid down the law that his soccer socks had to be pulled all the way up to cover his legs. OK, mom.  Sweet goofball!  Both boys are hoping for snow tomorrow.

Today will find this socks queen keeping her toes warm, and again over the weekend.  That cold front is expected here tomorrow.  But no snow.  The kids can keep that.

We had a lovely visit with Bill and Betsy last evening.  Bad blogger didn’t get a photo, but Bill is shorter than his cousin, has a beard, and the same hair style…balding!  They head to Orlando today, then to Miami and back here.  Hope to see them again before they fly back to Arizona.  Love visiting with family and friends!

Macey placed first in 4-H CPA yesterday!  She did a presentation on hippotherapy, and I can say the award was much deserved.  She and I facetimed the night before, so I got to see her excellent board photos and explanations, as well as hear her speech.  Kudos, honey girl!  She is one confident young lady.  She is also a wonderful cousin.

Dang, I miss my short people!

We don’t have any definite plans for the weekend.  Do you?  I am sure we will find something interesting to do.  We need to find some folks and get a marbles game going!  I’m having withdrawal!!!

Button up, buttercup.  Life is good, y’all!