chairs, appliances, electrical things

This post has been done over a couple of days.  The italics are the newest entries. 

Re-reading this makes me realize that I didn't get my usual entry paragraph, so here it is.  It's been a while since I wrote, and I always say that.  This is particularly true this time because I wished to get the nodforsome of the items I wrote about.  I don'twantto write anything that wouldn't be appropriate.

My tongue gets hot.

My sign to Paul that I need/want ice cream.  Brenda was so concerned when she heard that the first time.  Now she understands.  (She's such a nice lady.) We don't have the ice cream stands down here - except for the orange groves.  Haven't been there yet this year.  Our ice cream is store bought.  It's okay in a pinch.   Ice cream parlors are quite good.  Actually - more than that.

I wrote that because I wanted to compare that to something else, but I can't remember what it was.  My poor son thought I was losing it on our long trip south because I couldn't remember where we'd had lunch that day.  .  Nope.  Just senioritis.  I'll remember it somewhere down the line.  I'm not concerned.  Is that in itself a worry? 

I had a nice chat with my friend Marcia in North Carolina the other day.  I mentioned that I had trouble remembering.  Ex:  my doctors' names down here and differentiating from those who do the same job for me upstate.  She said I'd just have to say "Hey you - I don't remember your name." Is that bad manners?   

Bill and  Epril signed no-fault divorce papers on Friday.  We're all sad, of course.   But this opens up a whole new chapter in Bill's life. He went out to dinner with us Friday night.  He's looking great and has a great perspective on the future.  He's going with us to Gainesville for Thanksgiving.

I had some good news from my rheumatologist down here, Dr. G.  All my PMR tests came back with good results which means I can reduce my prednisone some more.  It means that my right shoulder pain is not from PMR.  Nor did the cortisone shot do a bit of good.  So, it would probably help with a bit of physical therapy.   That's my expert opinion,   and I'll check into it soon.

We went to Sam's Club this morning and got supplied with meat.  Now our freezer is full. Paul cuts, I label and fill the zip lock bags.   But our refrigerator stinks (Not the smelly kind of stink). .  If I could describe the emotions of this fridge, it would be anger. It's not very loveable.  Our ice maker is throwing out small fragile pieces of  hollow ice cubes way beyond the ice tray.  They cover the whole freezer floor   Something needs to be done.  This is the second ice maker that fairly new fridge has had.  Paul can fix it though.  I know he can.

Tuesday: A Miracle.

 So-the ice cubes are solid.  Paul said he didn't do anything.  I think he just looked at them sternly and they recognized the folly of their actions.

We stopped at Kanes Furniture because I want/need a new chair in the lanai.  The one I have, we've had for a long time.  Not sure what I want.  A recliner or a rocker.  I'm in the window-shopping mindset.  If I find something, good.  If not, I can sit in my comfy old chair at which no one should look too closely. Thinking about this some more, it's important that my feet touch the floor.   When I sit in my old chair, my feet touch the floor.   I wasn't able to do that with the recliners I sat on.

We have a fake fica tree with white lights in the dining room which is on a timer.  They've been working since the year one.  I always liked the way it looks.  Unfortunately half the bulbs were not working when we returned this year. Age-wise -  It was bound to happen.  So, knowing that Walmart is all set for Christmas and we could get millions of  lights there, we made a trip to there a couple of days ago.  We got two boxes of LED lights, got them home, and one of them was completely different than the box said it was supposed to be.  It obviously had been opened.  Why, or why, can't we live in a world where we can trust that, what we expect, is what we get!  I think I posted a while back about a box we opened from Lowe's that had a receipt and a broken item inside that someone had returned.

We've had January weather here in November.  November is usually a wonderful month of no humidity, sunny,  and warm temperatures.  It's been cold, cloudy, rainy the past couple of days.  Actually January isn't like that, but it is cooler.  Florida is still the Sunshine State.  Monday we had a gorgeous day and I spent some time in the afternoon in the pool and the sun with the other ladies.

Gracie had a bath yesterday.  She looks like a drowned rat when that happens.  We thought she was dry enough afterwards, but she wasn't. She was so cold, I wrapped her in a towel and put her right next to me on the sofa so that the heat from my body would also warm her.  Until she warmed up, her shivering was like a vibrator.  Martini arrived yesterday with Bob.  He's here till tomorrow when he leaves for his daughter, my niece, Christine's home in Melbourne.  They have a standard sized poodle who is too aggressive.  Martini is going with us to Gainesville on Thursday.  Gracie and Martini have such fun together, playing, cavorting.  Bob will be back, and we'll be back, and he'll stay for a while longer before he begins the trek back to Alpharetta. 

My husband, the pie-maker, is going to make two pies for Thanksgiving.  God bless him.  He bought two pie plates at Walmart, and all the fixings for apple and pumpkin.  That'll be tomorrow's work. 

Right now he's at physical therapy for his shoulder.  Yeah, that's right.  We're twins.  Two sore shoulders.  He's a bit ahead of me in this department.  Eventually I'll have to get mine looked at.

All in all . . .a very nice week.

I noticed the title of my last post, and it said it . . . as It was.   The first week or so it takes a while to get back to a familiar feeling of where home is.  That, plus, in the beginning this season, not having Bob next door placed an extra burden.  At first.

 But, Bob - all is okay here.  We miss you, we are also adjusting to you not living next door, but being several hours away.  You so happy.  That makes all the difference!  

 Bob's home was always "home" to him - and it reflected him . . . his ideas and tastes.  The new owner told Bob he bought it and would renovate it to resell. He has done so much to create a "new" villa.   We're pleased with what he's been doing.  Paul, of course, my expert carpenter and hero, knows how things should be done and is keeping close track.  New kitchen cabinets, carpeting, paint, are in being worked on.  Each step of the way is changing it into a new place.  It's exciting. 



The first week I didn't feel like I got out much at all.  This week has been better.  I went to Curves yesterday (I've been going 12 years - off and on - mostly on - trying to go 3 times a week).  I mention the parenthesized (a word?) because when I went, there were only 3 customers and the owner was on crutches with a newly bandaged foot.   One of the customers was new.  She needed someone to help her with the machines.  Due to my length of membership, I was elected - even though I have a sore right shoulder and am not using some machines, I could tell her what to do. 

Got a Facebook entry from Lue's daughter, Jennifer.  She's spending some time with Lue, who's recuperating from pneumonia, among other things.  Jennifer said her mom is improving. 

 There's snow in Montour Falls.  Jennifer also said that it melted before too long.  GOOD.  It's too early in the season. 

I went to the pool yesterday afternoon for an hour.  When you're an experienced Snowbird, and you don't want a sunburn, you learn that the mid-late afternoon is the best time to adjust to the Florida sun.  It felt so good.  And I'm enough of a newbie this season to appreciate it all.  I try not to take it for granted.  Ever. 

We've been enjoying Edna's freezer jam each morning.  It's been great, Edna.   What a treat!  Thanks again for letting us have a jar to take with us.  

Gracie's eye infection is all cleared up.  She hated the drops in her eye, but Paul did the whole week's worth.   Now she's running around like crazy - enjoying the patterns she can initiate through the house.  So she's all better. 


What's wrong with the following picture?

Wouldn't you think you'd be able to find patio cushions in the stores down here?  Nope.  It's not the season.  The patio sections are filled with Christmas items.  Just like up north.  How ridiculous can you get.  We needed some.  Badly.  On amazon.com I found millions. With free shipping.   We decided to get two of one pattern.  We needed four, but I couldn't see getting a full order until we found we liked them.   We did.   Although I suppose I could have returned four as easily as two. 

 Also - aha - I decided to kill two birds with one stone.  There's a GF (gluten free) marinade upstate NY that can't be found in Florida, but it's on amazon.com.  It is something too cheap to order separately but can be placed with another order worth more than $25.  Great.  I ordered their Cornell chicken recipe and a spiedie marinade. 

Wouldn't you figure they'd come in one box?  Nope.  Three boxes came by Fed Ex.   One extra large for the pillows  Then he came later.  One bottle of marinade.  Then he came the next day.  Another bottle of marinade.  The inefficiency of it all is appalling.

Thinking about this - they were from different places.  I guess that's why.  It's a shame my brain doesn't register thing the way it used to. But, again - why two boxes for two bottles of marinade???


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This was our week of doctor visits.  I have two new ones - a rheumatologist and a gastroenterologist.  Good thing I have a notebook.  I keep track of all my visits and write down all that's transpired or what I'm to do.   Paul saw our dermatologist. Now, that's done for a while.   Except for a lab visit next Monday.  Plus we saw our Florida GP. 

We joined Carol for lunch  today at one of her favorite restaurants  to celebrate her birthday.  Carol brought two friends with her.   We took Alice with us.  Alice had a procedure done on her back yesterday, and it was easier for her to be a passenger than a driver.  Carol looks wonderful.  She has a lot more vim and vigor.  And as I mentioned a while before . . . spunk!  All in all - it was a very nice luncheon. 

Home Away from Home Away from Home

We're home again, coming from home to our other home away-from-home, or vice versa.  It always takes a while to get used to being where we are at the present time.  It's funny, but we (meaning "I") always start several weeks before we leave with a no-no-no attitude. . . don't want to leave!  But as the time approaches, it becomes more and more acceptable in my mind.  Until when I leave, it feels right. 

This leaving was quite a different one.  Bob and Bill were visiting us for two weeks.  Bill used our new cave/cottage downstairs for work/sleep.  He brought his work computer with him and was able to work  even though he wasn't home.  We had the futon down there which he said was very very comfortable.  Good!  Bob and Martini slept in our main floor guestroom. 

 We decided that we would travel together. . . caravan style. 

We stopped for gas all at the same time.  Obviously.  As we were leaving one gas station,  we glanced at Bob's car, and he'd forgotten to return the gas cap, so we frantically waved to him and got him to stop before we left the station.  Then Paul looked at ours - he'd done the same thing.  (I guess it's an old-folk thing.  Bill, of course, was fine.)

 We wanted to see Bob's place in Alpharetta, so Paul and I traveled that whole distance with him, but Bill left us after the first night, our half-way point to Alpharetta, to continue on to Florida.  He'd stopped at Alpharetta on his way up and he needed to get home so he didn't miss any work. 

Saturday afternoon, we stopped to see Edna and Mike, in Montandan, PA.  Their daughter, Judy, was visiting from Connecticut, so we had a nice lunch and visit with them.  Edna put on a "spread" that was wonderful. There was so much to eat!  Bill especially enjoyed the BBQ ham sandwiches, and took Edna's recipe home so he could make it for his church's potluck lunches that they have every Sunday after church.  Edna gave me some freezer jam which I had this morning!


 We traveled caravan-style our first day - stopping in Staunton, VA,  a town we usually stay, but we stayed in a different hotel. Bob and Bill shared a room.   It was a hotel that we'd wanted to try, but hadn't.  It was fair.  The next day, early, Bill left us and traveled the complete distance to Punta Gorda - more than 14 hours. 

Bob lives with his son Jon, wife Nicole and their three children - Brooke, Jonathan and Talia.  It was a joy to see how much they missed him - he had so many kisses and hugs when we got there.

 Their home is beautiful - four bedrooms upstairs, a kitchen, living room, dining room, office on the first floor and a two-bedroom apartment downstairs where Bob lives.  I wonder if they have some before pictures.  His apartment also includes a kitchen, dining area,  living room, bathroom and walk-out to the in-ground pool area.  There's also a media room downstairs. 

While Bob was gone, Jon had it all painted, some carpentry work, adding doors, windows, closets,  and hung pictures, etc.. So, as you can imagine: There was quite a bit of work done. Carpentry, painting.  Bob's present bedroom was a storeroom - so they added a window outside, and framed it all in. It's larger than the second bedroom which had been his bedroom before he left for his visit with us.   He has a lot of storage space too. (That's good because Bob is a saver.)   In the dining room there's a beautiful round wooden table with six lovely matching chairs. What I saw was wonderful and took a lot of time and effort. And love.  As I often say:  It did my heart good.

After saying good-by to Bob on Monday morning, we left there and traveled six hours on to Gainesville, where we spent the night with Greg, Noi and NeeNee.   We had missed Noi and NeeNee at Paul's party because of school, etc. so it was a good opportunity to see them.  They have a new guest room upstairs that was very comfortable.  The downstairs guest room off the kitchen is now a den, with a loveseat and their piano.   We always enjoy visiting with them. It's nice to know they're so near. 

Tuesday, we had only three hours to travel down to Venice.  We took our time, stopping for lunch on the way.  Even though it was only three hours, we both were very tired.  We had to get food, but stopped home first.  And then went out again.  Wednesday we had more to do - our Comcast wasn't working right.  That's almost a given.  Each year we come back to trying to get that to work right and we always have problems. So we were on the phone to "technicians" whose English leaves a lot to be desired.  We also had some more shopping to do.  Today is wash day.  And all the other incidentals. 

I almost had a heart attack this afternoon when I couldn't find any of my meds, other than the ones in the two weeks supply in the  pill containers. I couldn't understand where they could be.  BUT I found them =  I had neglected to take the gallon Ziploc bag full of my prescription meds out of the suitcase when it was put away.  Such is the life of an absent-minded professional.  Paul is so lucky to have me.  Not. 

The weather is fantastic.  Paul is out at the Garden Center.  He'll have fun getting the flowers and all started.  He said the oregano from last year, has overgrown, needs to be fixed. 

 Gracie is on the couch sleeping.  Oh, yes.  We took her to the vet last night, and her eye infection that we noticed and I wrote about on Facebook, is being cleared up with drops twice a day.  Poor thing.  She traveled so well, but her right eye was closed a good deal of the time. The Vet said the light hurts her eye.  Now she can look forward to healing.  It hasn't stopped her zooming around.  We got here and she immediately ran next door to see her best human friend, Bob.   He wasn't there.  She finally got to see him today.  Everyone is so busy. Good. 



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BTW - as we were traveling through Virginia, Lue's son, Mike, who lives in Connecticut, called us on Paul's cell phone.  Lue was in the hospital with pneumonia.  Oh my goodness.

 Thursday, she had cancelled having lunch with us all - thinking she had the flu.  The poor dear.  We felt awful that we were so far away. 

 We called Paul's daughter, Sharon, and Paul's Corning relative, and they kept in touch with her and let us know what was going on.  I guess she was very very ill.  I'm not sure if she's home now or not. But I wouldn't be surprised if she was home.  She definitely didn't like being in the hospital.   Her daughter, Gail, was coming in from Massachusetts. They also were setting up a health-care worker to stay with Lue at home.   Lue's sister, Sharon, had been  staying at Lue's house and taking care of Greta, her Bernase Mountain Dog.