Wherefore Art Thou??

Yes it has to be someone's fault because we are all miserable here in the mitten and elsewhere.  My patience is running thin.  I already got my blood warmed up in Florida and it is thickening up again.  I have all my spring clothes clean and pretty soon they aren't going to fit with my eating to keep warm.  So furry creature, you look warm enough to me.  I don't need no more guff from you.  I just want spring. Pleeeeeeze!!!!!

RX

The Donald and I are sick with some kind of flu virus-nasty! I have a fever, head cold, cough, you, know the whole deal. Donaldo is a little less sick than me. So we have been hunkering down for the last three days trying to fight this thing. Our weapons are:

plenty of Kleenex
A bag to put them in
A netti pot to use three times a day
Vicks vapo rub
Tea
Thermometer-I am especially fond of this one so I can see how high my temp goes ha!  I think my mom took my temperature all the time when I was sick (I gotta blame this one someone)
A great series we are reading by Joel Rosenberg.
Vaseline for my raw nose
Tylenol and Motrin
Homemade chicken soup
DVR'd tv shows like the third season of Downton Abbey (sh.......don't tell the rest of the story) and Shark Tank
Lysol wipes-what for I don't know. We are both sick
A soothing drink of honey, ginger, lemon, and whiskey. The more whiskey, the better.  I didn't cough all night! Ha!
Oh...and my iPad.

Wish I were still there!!!!!

Stay well and have a lovely Sunday

Code

The snow on the way home in Kentucky

                                 

I have a code in my nose picked up in some hotel room no doubt.  Goodness knows I was so careful at all the rest stops washing my had thoroughly.  Well it's been a few years since I had one so I guess I am due.  
In the news also we have become the child-care givers for Joy Boy again because his new nanny quit and we are here until Karen finds another one or a day care for him.  If anyone know anyone who could do it, let me know.  
I am still not fond of the weather here; it's not to my liking.  I was glad to see the snow-drops blooming while it was snowing yesterday.  And the robin was looking into the frozen tundra for his worm.  I'm afraid he will have to have frozen dinners for awhile longer.  
You know the difference between the south and the north is so striking it is hard to believe that last week at this time I had been finishing up packing so I could sit in the sun all day on Friday which we did.  I want just a little more sun and little more warmth and I will be a happy camper.  
And Hooray!  I finally finished unpacking!!

Who can pass up a pedicure (oooh it was a good one) and then sitting in the sun in a sheltered area.

There.....sigh....love the palm trees,,,and the sun

Coming Home....

is so hard to do...!  

After a kind of rough drive home; there is unpacking.  And unpacking for a month takes a whole week or more.  Everything is wrinkled and you have to wash it or throw it in the dryer or iron; did I say IRON?  No no no, not unless absolutely necessary.  And the weather here?  It is pretty hard to take for EVERYONE and especially for those who come home from green and beautiful Florida.  

Lest I sound like I am whining...I am just explaining why it's been so long since I have blogged.  I have lots of pictures to download and I just got an email from Shutterfly for a free book.  

I have some kind of sinus infection or cold and the Donald seems to be coming down with it.  Joy Boy and his mom are sick and we had him over Tuesday and Wednesday to help out.  

I never feel like a blog is complete if you don't have pictures to go with the blog, so hang on, the pictures are coming. 

Now, I promise myself I will finish unpacking so I can get back to my life.  

A Mile In My Shoes

                                 
...or two miles.  There is nothing like walking on the beach.  Every day Don and I would walk a mile to the pier and a mile back, picking up interesting shells on the way-having long talks or just being silent and listening to the waves.  We solved a lot of life's problems as we walked which you always do with a friend when walking together.  
Now, since we are at the Holiday Inn and it was a rainy, windy cold day yesterday there was no walk on the beach.  So, last night we walked up and down the stairs and down the hallways of the hotel's five floors and we ended up in the fitness center and Don walked on the treadmill and I rode the bike.  Wow, the bike was harder than I remember.  I need to practice up at the Rec Center when I get home.  
We got some more clothes late yesterday afternoon and we will get the rest today.  We feel like we are living out of our car right now with bags of unrelated clothes in each bag.  I must say they are all folded really nice and the gal that is doing them is so nice.  I don't envy her at all and I have thanked her many times as well as apologizing for the hissy fit I had when I found out they all had to be washed.  
I got a couple of new bumps yesterday; hopefully that is the end of the new ones.  I am thankful they don't itch too much.  I have found much to be thankful for these last two days and today I have promised myself I won't complain today about our situation.  We might go back to Dunedin and Honeymoon Island.  Today is another day with higher than normal northwest winds, but the sun is out and the high is supposed to be 72.  

Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite........

Caution: This blog is not for the weak or squeamish.
That little saying took on a whole different meaning Sunday when we found there were bedbugs in the bed I had been camping out in when the snorer gets going.  We waited all afternoon to find out why the housekeepers didn't finish cleaning our room.  And then we found out....Eeek as the bites keep showing up on my body. We found out we had to move to a hotel while they got rid of them
Then yesterday we found out they had to wash all our clothes in hot water twice and dry them twice. WE did not know we had to have our clothes washed and we already had them packed to move to the Hotel.   They set us up in a Holiday Inn because they had no other units open at their place.  Hopefully we can go back Wednesday night or Thursday morning.  Meanwhile they keep handing us plastic bags of clothes which are all over the car in the back seat. Imagine carrying plastic bags into the Holiday Inn.  I had to buy a pair of longer pants at Beall's Outlet so I bought a big cute beach bag to put what stuff I had in it.  
Bedbugs can happen anywhere and we were taught how to look for them in hotel rooms under the mattresses.   
Needless to say I was upset and washing some of my new clothes or old clothes for that matter in hot water may mean I will never wear them because they will shrink. The bites keep showing up in different places on my body which creeps me out.  
It's too bad this had to happen on our last week, but hey things happen.  We are welcome to use the pool and sit in the sun back at our condo, but alas it is raining now so we are going to stay put for awhile at the Holiday Inn.  I feel like a displaced person and home is starting to look good.  We leave Saturday morning.   

Can You Say........

*It's hard to blog when you have friends visit for the week
*Except for Tuesday it has been a cool, windy, but sunny week
*My computer hasn't worked all week
*We are starting our last week here and it is going to be the nicest week :)
*We went to Dunedin Wednesday and did some shopping and ate at a cute cafe called "Sweet Peas Cafe."  The food was so good that Donaldo and I might go back next week.  
*It is only 65 right now with 15 mph NW winds
*Our friends bought us breakfast at the coffee shop this morning.  We love their egg sandwiches.  
*Our friends are going home tomorrow morning.  I think they wanted a taste of the Florida life and that's what they got-a taste.  
*I have pictures, but haven't uploaded them yet
*I am reading a new book by Jodi Picoult called "The Storyteller."  It is riveting!  
*We are going out for Mexican food tonight.  
*This is dedicated to Kristen :)

Florida Sun Times-Monday

It looks like the cold spell will break today.  It is 44 degrees right now with a north wind.  It looks like the north wind will stay around until tomorrow and then will change to south.  I think yesterday, with the 25 mph winds, was the coldest I have seen here in Florida.  Uncle Buck at home said it almost sounds like Michigan.  I agree except we have NO SNOW!!!

We spent the weekend doing little things and going a few places. Yesterday we went to church and heard a wonderful speaker; he was a former Muslim from Iran.  He said the underground churches are growing in Iran and he teaches men how to go and start a church. He inspired us to go out and share the Gospel; very compelling!  
The church was supposed to have a picnic after the service, but it was cancelled due to cold weather!  We tried to find a place to eat lunch, but there was a wait at the two places we wanted to try so we went to the coffee shop and had a breakfast sandwich and split a muffin.  It was very good especially since we were so hungry.

Our Scotland friends are coming today-renting a place right across from us.  They decided the last minute that they had to GET OUT OF MICHIGAN.  They will be here until Saturday.   

A trip to the post office, a stop at Publix and then a walk on the beach are in the plans for this morning.  Hopefully we can sit outside this afternoon.  I have missed that. 

Happy Monday to you!!

Florida Sun Times

I am sitting at the desk in the sun room and I just watched the sun come up.  I thought "Yea! sun today."  But it was quickly swallowed up by a thick blanket of clouds.  
Yesterday we saw more clouds than sun and temperatures were in the low 60's with a cold north wind.  This is not whining or complaining it is just the facts folks.  So we:

*went to the post office to get our mail
*went down to St. John's pass to shop and get something for the grandkids (and grammy/mimi:)
*went to the Publix to get a few things we needed
*had lunch at Chick-Fil-A; a chicken wrap sandwich and their new chicken tortilla soup
*Don went for a walk when we got back; I am too chicken about that north wind.
*I made some cards and went to the mail box and the beach store to get more tatoo's for the kids. 
*We walked to the coffee shop and Donaldo had his coffee and a banana muffin and I had chai tea latte (and a bite of the muffin)
*We read in the afternoon; Donaldo did read a little while down by the pool area; I stayed inside.  Did I mention I don't like the cold north wind?
*Donaldo made a yummy pizza.  We watched TV and read until bed around 10 p.m. 

Today?  We will see. Sounds like a repeat of yesterday. It will stay cool until Monday, but Tuesday looks even better.

Bright sun coming up over the inter-coastal 

It hits the clouds and I can only see the bottom ot the sun.  It is drizzling now

                              

                                       

Florida Sun Times

Leading article:  Seashells down by the seashore.  There seems to be a lack of shells this year or...they are all broken. Everyday as we walk, we are hopeful that we will find some good ones.  But all there seems to be are the cat paws.  We did find two Welks yesterday that had only had a tiny piece broken off and that is okay with me; it went in the bag. We need one of the grandkids to come and help us.  

The flowers and the palm trees are what really make me happy and the Hibiscus this year are beautiful.  

As promised I will include some pictures today.

Cat Paws

Giant Hibiscus bloom

I took this one after it rained.  You can see the water droplets on it

A walk in the mangroves

A white Heron which only lives in Southern Florida

A tiny reptile sunning itself

Bird Paradise

    The weather forecast for today is partly sunny; high 63.  I think we will be running some errands today; mail and shop and hopefully we can get out in the sun in the afternoon.