The kids threw Ray a fabulous surprise 80th birthday party yesterday. Yes, Peaches, Santa is 80, and doing mighty fine, and checking his list twice!
There were ribs, chicken, and pork with all the trimmings, along with cake…kids, grandkids, other relatives, and a few dozen friends. What a great celebration. Ray and Lois were both truly surprised. Their kids did a great job and pulled it off well. Everyone was there but Gary, who had an unexpected flight to Australia (!), poor thang. His daughter Carli went along as flight attendant, so she had to miss the shindig too. There will, of course, be dozens of photos to show them what they had to miss.
Being godparents to all three of our kids (who all wished they could have attended), Ray and Lois have been a part of our family for a looong time, and are very special to all of us. We look forward to #85!
Now y’all know why we stayed in W Palm later than normal…but that is changing…………today!
We are heading to northern Florida to visit family there today. Niece Debby and Steve offered a spot in their driveway that also includes dinner. Sounds like a wonderful combination…plus we get to (hopefully)see their kids, and (definitely) Dick’s sister Ginny.
At least we Griswolds arrive with our own bed, so there are no sheets and towels to wash when we leave. And we bring wine!
Miles and smiles…and a little closer to Mayberry. It will be a busy but great day.
Life is good with family and friends!
Our oldest is having a birthday today. Happy birthday, Haley! The mom of one of her students brought in this beautiful cookie cake yesterday. I know there won’t be any left by the time we get back to Mayberry. Bugger.
This is a great way to begin spring break…a birthday AND cake! We love you bunches and will celebrate with you very soon. Enjoy your birthday season!
MM made great progress on getting all the patio stuff battened down and anchored in place (a “blue” job). Literally.
This pile is staying put, grill included.
MM has gone off to an equipment auction this morning. I am doing some spring cleaning (a “pink” job) in the moho so I won’t have to do it when we get home. Yep, we are on the downhill side of Florida, with Georgia on Our Mind.
Everybody have yourselves a ginger peachy day. We sure will…with birthday cake here for a very special friend!
Well, I am up before the sun this morning. Again.
And I lost a whole day yesterday, thanks to a stuffy nose, shared by MM’s germs. I stayed beached on the couch all day, and even missed the pool party here at the park. Y’all know I didn’t feel good if I missed out on a fun time. MM brought me a plate of food, bless his heart. I am already better this morning, thanks to my handy dandy saline nose spray.
So we are slowly getting prepared to depart. We have to have everything chained and/or strapped down before we leave (tables, chairs, grill, umbrella) in preparation for hurricane season. MM got the grill anchored yesterday, under the watchful eyes of two kitties. They are sooo wanting to go outside! Me, too.
We have a couple of errands to do today, along with the usual fun laundry. Yep, it’s Friday in paradise, where life is good…and the sun is ever so slowly smiling on us.
Hopefully, Ole Man Winter blew his last cold breath in Mayberry yesterday.
Friend Lamar posted these beautiful daffodils yesterday morning (thanks!), then Haley posted afternoon snowflakes. Huh? It was March 25 in Mayberry, Peaches! Snow and spring do not go together at all. Go away!
It is also rather chilly here in West Palm this morning. This is a perfect day to meet Neal and Judy for a (final) bowl of fisherman’s stew for lunch.
Yes, final, as in…it is time for us to head the moho nawth…very soon. There are still some friends to see here (and up the road), and things to get done before we pull out of here. The clock is ticking…rapidly. Yikes!
MM had a final eye check, and will get some new specks to help sharpen his vision just a bit. We had better buy two pairs, since he is bound to lose them…bless his heart.
Life is good, y’all!
Beaner Haley had a whole lotta fun in her role in Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, which closed last night. Proud papa Brian said she was great at her part. Haley is a ham anyway, that is for sure.
Amy took the boys and her niece to watch, and they loved it. Grumps and I have to wait for the DVD to see Haley’s debut, but at least we get to see it…eventually.
Grammie Joy said that Eva didn’t need any prompting for this shot:
So, it is Monday…and we are both awake and up way too early, but at least early means faster internet speeds, so MM tells me. Me likey.
Friends Max and Kathy came by for happy hour and hugs yesterday, as they are pulling out and heading north today. Our sweet new neighbors leave this weekend. It is that time of year for folks to return home. We have an official end-of-season pool party on Thursday night.
Flurries are predicted in Mayberry tomorrow. Hello…it’s March! Florida is still looking and feeling mighty good to us, for just awhile longer. We still have a few things to do, and a few people to see before we leave, but leaving is on our mind. Snow is NOT.
Have yourselves a ginger peachy day, whatever you do. We sure will…and smile!
Goodbye to Grand Turk.
Goodbye to little umbrella drinks…
And to our ship home for the past week. It was fun being a bit pampered.
Reality has already set in. I unpacked, went to the WalMart and got a few groceries (cheated and got a rotisserie chicken for our dinner tonight—gotta slowly ease back into doing my own cooking)…and then I had to scrub and sanitize the kitchen counter, because a certain gray kitty used it for his very own personal perch for a week! Bad kitty! Kitchen counters are absolutely off limits. Busted!
Both babies were mighty happy to see us, well, except for the scolding for counter lounging.
It is good to be back in the moho, sleeping in our own bed, and having our own stuff…Internet included. Everyone I talked with complained about the slow Internet on the ship, so I didn’t even bother trying to get a connection. That is a first for me…and I survived…but I missed visiting all my blog buddies. I will catch up soon.
Although we don’t have a room steward, we are happy to be back at the moho, with our (mostly) sweet furbabies, and where life is definitely sunny and good.
Good Monday morning from paradise, where the critters are already out seeking their breakfast.
We four had a busy weekend. Jimmy and Cathy were available for lunch on Saturday, so we met them in
The social committee put on a fantastic BBQ here at the park on Saturday night: BBQ ribs, chicken, and all the trimmings, as well as music and a little dancing. We made some new friends, which is always pleasing.
Sunday was church, lunch at Bob/Lynne’s coach, then some retail therapy for Lynne and me while the guys putzed around doing guy stuff. Picadillo from my freezer with saffron rice and salad was dinner. I love having good, basic stuff frozen for quick meals, especially when Lynne and I had important shopping to do! We scored some (necessary) bargains.
We are grilling tonight. Bob and Lynne are having fun with the local accountant this morning. MM is getting a hair cut this morning so I can have the car to go get mine cut this afternoon. We have to share, so we do. It (mostly) works.
It’s a regular fun factory around here.
So tomorrow will begin a true work day for all four of us, but we will plod onward with confidence.
Life is good, y’all! Hug your loved ones.
MM and I felt like we had been wrestling a few alligators yesterday, so we crashed early and slept late, and now we have a brand new day.
There is a front moving in, so we are mostly cloudy, but that’s OK. It makes us appreciate all those sunny days even more. Plus, we don’t have anything pressing on the calendar today. Hey, that means this is a day off, right? I declare it so.
It is also a grateful day, and I send hugs to all you special people. May we all strive to be more grateful for our blessings, and treat one another with just a little more kindness.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things that money can’t buy.
With the arrival of Bob and Lynne yesterday, we had to go get our John G’s fix this morning. It is a rule in the Palm Beach Rule Book (isn’t it?).
Terry, Lynn, and Leslie met the four of us for our usual cinnamon-nut French toast. Ahhh, what a way to start this fantastic day.
Afterward, we absolutely HAD to drive up A1A along the beautiful beach that gave Palm Beach County its name. The Atlantic was as flat as flat can be. Hardly a ripple to be seen out there anywhere. Seriously bee-u-ti-ful.
Y’all hang on out there in cold country—spring is on the way. Really. It is. See the above photo.
Cooking tip: I tried a new way to bake sweet potatoes yesterday—in the crockpot—and it was a winner. I washed the spuds, wrapped them in foil, then placed them in the CP for 4 hours on high (on the patio). Easy peasy. I will do that again.
So what else did we have for dinner? Well, chicken on the grill, some with BBQ sauce/some with marinade; and grilled asparagus spears. All were finger-lickin’ good, and again, ever so easy and all cooked outside.
Tonight, we will go to church for the annual Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner. Lynne and I will probably manage to find something else exciting to do on this fine day…while the guys go kick tires. Or something equally exciting in the guy department.
Life is good today, y’all!
And other stuff.
Now isn’t this sweet?! Alex and Penny sharing a pillow…and sweet dreams, I am sure. Where’s Barkley???
Ansley got new glasses. I likey (but I likey YOU more):
And this sweet one sent us a little gift from a recent acolyte trip to the cathedral. Thanks, Macey!
Yesterday, I got an email from Carolyn (MM’s sister) saying her granddaughter needed some ancestry info. No problem. I had been working on my own paternal side this week, so I switched over to that side of the “tree” and got busy, checking the web first before I finalized the info to send Carmen.
As I was doing some cutting and pasting in preparation for the scan and send, it all of a sudden occurred to me that I am 60-something and STILL helping with homework assignments…but not for a child I birthed! I laughed. I entertain myself quite easily.
I definitely want these young ones to know a bit about their ancestors, so I was quite happy to help Carmen in Alabama. The internet is a good thing…so that we can stay in touch, no matter where we are located.
Us gals got whupped in marbles. Twice. Or was it three times? MM and I played with (very) long-time friends Ray and Lois and another couple last night. We need a re-match. Soon! And more cake. It was excellent.
So today I will be working off that cake. It is cool and sunny this morning, perfect for doing a little bike riding…then back to my kind of “tree” work.
Put some sweet dreams in your day. Life is good and filled with blessings, y’all, but they don’t always fall out of trees!
