Shopping with Liz

I shoved the cart into a bush in the parking lot, but she wouldn't budge. Guess she was up for more shopping!

Around the Corner from Our Place

Showing Our Love...

Florida Winter Salad in the Making

Mixed greens; kumquats (growing here in abundance); feta; walnuts, candied or not; fruity vinaigrette or balsamic. Spectacular!

In and Out

Rain, Rain Go Away...

We've had about 5"/12.5cm in the last 24, and it's still coming down (100% chance of rain today)! Rain is cascading down our hill. Anybody need any of this?

Pour Me a River...

As predicted, heavy rains started before dawn. The most recent check of the rain gauge shows 3.25"/8.25cm. Tom will certainly tell you it's squishy out there, especially after almost taking two headers while trying to get Holly outside to potty. Despite the flood warnings, we're still far from the accumulations we've had during tropical storms--like 14.5"/37cm a few years ago (fortunately during a drought). Snorkels and a doggie poncho are nearby, just in case it doesn't let up. I'm currently absolved of my outdoor duties due to my sucky knee. Guess there's a bright side. Nah...

Busy Day in the Kitchen

This is our only day off together, so... After Tom's pancakes for breakfast, I made Zuppa Tuscana for lunch. Shrimp and grits will follow for dinner. In between I did a batch of lasagna roll-ups for the freezer. They work well with our crazy lifestyle, and even the family's Italian cook approves. (That would be Tom.) Not looking forward to weigh-in in the morning...

Before Seven O'Dark Thirty

I hate time changes! Holly didn't get the memo about falling back, so she had me up waaa-aaay too early to go out in the dark and pouring rain. By the time I gave her breakfast, I was awake so we sat and waited for Tom to get up. After a 60+ hour work week, he should have been sluggish, but he came flying out of the bedroom with his laundry and then headed outside to wash the cars in the rain! Now he's making pumpkin-chocolate chip pancakes with Door County cherry syrup. I'm glad somebody is happy...

Losing My Grip...

It's the season for seafood festivals here, which means it's time to get cracking. Yesterday we took on stone crabs with friends. With many years experience at this event, we arrived fully prepared to do battle. Newbies laughed as we unloaded aprons, drop cloths, hammers, and clamps, but they didn't laugh long. We felt sorry for the band performing to the banging percussion of improvised wooded clubs smashing claws. Place sounded like a constructions site, with an occasional screech as someone was hit with shrapnel or a spritz of crab juice. It would be embarrassing to list everything consumed at our table, so we'll just blame most of it on our friend Eric and his two hollow legs. Next year: more cash, surgical instruments, and vice grips!

Signs of Fall

Brewing my first cup of tea for the chilly season (blueberry bliss!). Humidity has broken, and this morning it's 55*/13C. Back to lovin' northern FLA!

Glorious!

On-the-job sunset. With wine and treats. Doesn't get much better!

Score!

The cooler weather got us out exploring today, and we discovered a great recreation area across the road from our new place. We hiked around the lake--don't tell my doctor!--and thought about coming back with our kayaks until Tom spotted a big gator (6-7') hanging out on a little island. Hot tub is next, but we're looking forward to seeing what else the place has to offer. Also need to return for better pix when there's a blue sky.

Surprise, Surprise!

I had a trusty vehicle that I intended to drive forever. Unfortunately, my knee is going south again, and clutching my way through city traffic became pretty unbearable. Tom went with me this morning to look for a replacement with an automatic transmission, and somehow we came home with "twins"! We're both thrilled. (As are my knee and my back.)

What Happens When You Haven't Unpacked Your Platter...

Nicoise in two parts! (Still tasty enough.)

Looking More and More Like Home

Gallery installed, Door wine in rack.

The Extent of our Gardening Now

We're so relieved to be living in a place where lawn and gardening are taken care of. Still, we needed a kumquat tree to make our Florida winter salad. (About the size of grape tomatoes, kumquats are citrus flavor pellets that you can eat, skin and all.) To keep things easy--our new theme in life--we planted a small tree in a container on our deck, adding purple queen for a burst of my favorite color. In a few months, we'll be tossing the fruit with mixed greens, walnuts, feta, and fruity balsamic. Yum!

Weekend Temptation

Don't even want to know how much I weigh at this point...

Someone is a Fan...

Pretty clear why Holly loves the new man cave.

Back to School

When we bought our new place, we realized it was near a local high school. However, we looked at the home on a weekend and moved in over summer vacation. The reality hit this morning: it's the first day of class. As Tom points out, that's the cost of now living 10 minutes from everything. (I'll still take it over Dullsville, where dollar stores outnumbered restaurants two to one.)

Is Today National Potato Day?

Probably not, but it seems that way here. For people who rarely eat potatoes, we hit the trifecta today: hash browns with eggs for breakfast, potato salad and veggie burgers for lunch, and baby reds and seared tuna for dinner. Will have to do a better job of menu planning tomorrow before we turn into couch potatoes...

Independence Day, Indeed

We have a contract on our house! Celebrations to follow. As soon as we can figure out a way to transact all the paperwork from the deep woods. Fingers crossed...

Last Year I Kissed a Dolfin...

Today I kissed a refrigerator. And a bed. I'll spare you the photos. My epic whine a couple days ago apparently changed our fortunes, and for that we are thankful. (Or maybe it was the sage...)

Seriously, How Can So Many Things Go Wrong?!...

We closed on our townhome on May 22nd and expected to be in it by the end of the month. But first we figured we’d add matching hardwood floors in the bedrooms and get the place painted. “No problem,” the guy from the flooring company said, “That’s a common product that’s always in stock.” Then came the call that they didn’t have enough to do all of the rooms and more of the product wouldn’t even hit this country for another month. In the meantime, our “contractor” hired some kid to paint the walls. Took it literally and even did the garage—no, no, NO!—but was much more effective in getting the paint on the floors, windows, cabinets, and appliances than anywhere it was supposed to go. After the third re-do, we still don’t have good coverage. Last weekend I opened the side-by-side the previous owners left to find both the refrigerator and freezer oven hot. I mean the water in the ice cube trays was steaming. We realize we’re fortunate we didn’t have a fire, but that meant buying a new refrigerator, which was delivered today. We thought we might be getting close to a move in, but nooooo. The new unit is too big for the space so we’d need to pull the counter-depth refrigerator 8” out from the wall to open the freezer. Tom reports that the delivery and uninstall really messed up the paint job. Just great. And let’s not forget the new bed I ordered. First the shipping company lost it and then delivered it with a huge gash in the leather headboard. The model, of course, has been discontinued. Tom is also having a terrible time installing the new light fixtures and rewiring a switch in the closet, and now the home owners' association wants us to cut back one of our huge hedges before we leave. I've leaving stuff out, but so far two things have gone off without a hitch. Seriously, I just want to get moved in and head off for my summer break, but today’s disasters have set back that timeline by at least another week. Aargh!

Month in a Minute

Time flies! I've been too busy to blog, so here's the quickest of updates... We celebrated Tom's birthday in Sarasota and spent spring break snorkeling our way across the Caribbean. I've also been to a conference in New Orleans. In our free time--hahaha--we've been trying to sell Vango and hunt for a new place. (Yup! Looking for an easy-care townhome closer to work.) I recently read an occasional blogger who does flashbacks. What a great idea! Hope to do that some time soon. In fact, I still owe you a post from a trip to San Antonio almost a year ago. Wonderful time!

Got our Manatee Fix

Spent a great weekend with summer neighbors who winter nearby. Talked them in to a manatee swim, which they enjoyed greatly. Here are some pix of our friends, biped and aquatic. The star of most of the underwater shots is a large juvenile who bonded with us. Every time Tom and I tried to move away, he'd swim up underneath us and take us for a ride. Actually had trouble getting good shots because they were so close. Another peak experience that we intend to repeat next year. Who's up for it?!

Thar She Blows!...

Just got our first inflatayak for Vango and travel purposes. Decided to give the assembly a dry run, so to speak, rather than attempt Clowns-R-Us inflation at the river. Now we just need to deflate and get it back into its travel backpack... (Holly is not amused with what is going on in her living room.)

Scenes from this Weekend's Hike

Long Weekend

We left Vango and Holly at home (doggie spa!) and headed to the Atlantic to visit long-time friends. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, particularly wandering through historic Saint Augustine.

Filling the Rain Gauge Again

Over 6"/15cm already this morning, and it's not stopping any time soon. We have a lake out front, and everything else is on the verge of flooding. Boots, snorkels, and kayaks on standby!

Life in the South

'Q to go, smokin' all the way!

Taking Down Christmas

Such a bittersweet activity! I always hate to see the holiday season end, but disassembling Christmas is a guaranteed trip down Memory Lane. Every ornament is special, associated with a person, event, or time. For instance, we have old ornaments from my childhood Christmases, souvenirs from travel--wooden shoes from the Netherlands and fuzzy mittens from Alaska--and a patriotic ornament from 2001. This year we added two ornaments to our collection. The "Happy Camper" ornament is in honor of Vango. The school bus is a replica of the lunch pail I so proudly carried throughout first grade! Now our home looks empty and dull, and I am left dreaming of Christmases future.