hopped in my little red miata . . .

and headed over to oviedo to spend some time with the beard AKA, the big bad wolf (BBW).  got there in time for dinner with his friend marilyn and jerry whose wedding we had attended.  one nice thing about the beard, he remembers things.  somewhere along the line i mentioned that i loved indian food but had not had any in years.  so they picked moghul indian cuisine over in winter park.  color me happy as i shoveled down copious amounts of chicken saag with a side of garlic naan bread.  saag is chicken cooked in a creamy sauce with chopped spinach, served over basmati rice.  i kept saying i was finished but kept on eating.  oh slurp.

a good time was had by all.

hooray . . .

got lots accomplished today . . . finally, even if i did have to run to publix twice since i forgot i had to toss my soy sauce in the great refrigeratoritis scare.

and i've finally started doing yoga again on a daily basis in kidlet's old room.  the first day i had a slight problem.  a yowling catlet outside the door, singing the song of her tribe for an hour and fifteen minutes.  not very zen like.  today i sneaked downstairs while she was sleeping and managed half a practice in silence.  om.

finally finished all the paperwork required for the cruise so that is set and luggage tags are ordered.  transfers are taken care of  . . .  canceling istanbul and adding athens.  and  . . .  drum roll please . . . with the new flights, it looks as if we will be able to drop out luggage off at the ship and grab a cab back to athens and still see the acropolis and platka before the ship leaves.  yay!!!!!  small things make me happy.  large things too.

namaste.

lunch with the hens . . .

plus one.  melly, joanie's bonus daughter joined us.  they re-did their menu and took off my favorite salad but they managed to recreate it for me.  a black and blue chicken salad with romaine and blue cheese crumbles.  yes, i'm addicted to blackened chicken.  slurp.

i forgot to take a picture of dessert.  i know.  i know.  i am slipping.   we ordered their brownie.  it's two very large brownies with two large scoops of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and tons of whipped cream.  it is huge.  too much for four people.  the leftovers were donated to lee.  but funny story.  as the waiter, david, was delivering the dessert, a man from another table, hopped himself and his chair over to join us at the end of our table.  not sure who laughed harder, the four of us or the eighteen people with him.   good times.

had to scurry home to meet the bug man.  no termites.  yay.  a set of visitors i don't want to deal with.

and since i finally added water to the pool yesterday . . . it rained today.

it's so hot . . .

and dry that i had to add water to the pool for the first time in two years.  i'd rather play in the pool then iron.  that is all.

i'm happy too . . .

 and this one because, well, it just feels right.

feeling betterer . . .

so lunch with nancy at la's.  finally got a chance to try gron's creamy chicken veggie soup.  delicious.  don't know why i haven't tried it before.  it's a keeper.

then off to run the errands i had been putting off and back to my trying to accomplish ten things each day.  so far i am up to eleven since things got kind of backed up there for a few days.  the house is starting to smell really good.  marinara simmering on the stove.  i needed to replace that which went home with kidlet during the great refrigeratoritis scare. 

going to try and get caught up with two photography classes i've signed up for.  one strictly about my camera, the other a general refresher class before the cruise.  good stuff.

happy. happy.

some days . . .

just aren't that exciting.

pre-cruise party . . .

for planning.  for strategies.  for discussions.  oh what the heck, just any excuse for a party, seven of us met at bob's for burgers, beer and brats.  ok, and a few salads.

meet the crew.  from left to right.  miss vicki, robin, paulie, bob, david, sharon and carene.  oh, and that is burt in bob's lap.

 a close up of a very sleepy burt.

 robin with spencer and his new hairless do.

 david and sharon being pensive . . .

 paulie and bob . . .

 miss vicki, robin and spencer.

 spencer the attention seeker . . .

 robin, spencer and paulie . . .

again, robin, spencer, paulie, bob and burt.

 what a cutie and he's ten.

so yes, a good time was had by all.

and so, there went my saturday . . .

diverticulitis how i hate you and your little swollen pouches.  so one lousy nut didn't make it past you, doesn't mean you have to take it out on me.  

scoot!!!!

spent the afternoon . . .

first at river grill with lee.  ever since i have discovered their blackened chicken on top of their wedge salad, i have become a happy camper.  next time i need to remember to take a shot.  very slurpalicious. happy.  happy.

then the beard came to spend the afternoon with me.  much chitter chat and giggling.

he helped me make a new recipe:  olive oil, butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon. linguini, shrimp. spinach, fresh italian parsley, grated parmesan.  slurp!!!! it was delicious.

color me extremely happy.  a good day with well spend with two good friends!!!!!

and another . . .

been cleaning and getting phone calls made/returned.  ran out long enough to pick up some cat food so i wake up in the morning with all ten toes still attached and in good working order.

been sitting with my other cat family across the street.  i did have to text joanie and tell her i murdered a plant.  every other plant is thriving.  the one i killed, obliviously not so much.  sigh.

waiting for dinner.  it was supposed to be baked chicken, baked potato and roasted asparagus but when i went to lift out the asparagus, it was slimy and gooey.  nope.  not going in my mouth!!!!

life is good.

another . . .

slug day.  nose in a book.  crossword puzzle in hand.  kidlet managed to double book herself so i went over to babysit the ATT guy installing her wifi so she could get to her other appointment but he was in and out so fast, he was gone before she left.  she is connected!!!!

lots to do tomorrow.  nothing exciting just the things that make my world go around.

surprise . . .

took kidlet and t.j. to snack jacks for dinner.  decided to take a walk on the beach afterwards.  spotted a cluster of people and went to see what was what. turtle patrol was cleaning out an already hatched nest to make sure there weren't any more survivors:

 egg detritus.

 hatchlings

 amazing huh?

 babies!!!!

 homeward bound.

 the ocean is calling his name.

right spot.  right time.

another lazy day . . .

i think it has to do with the miasma of summer.  no energy.  no desire to do anything.  instead, i concentrated on filling my freezer back up and made a big pot of chipotle chicken chowder.  later this week, i will make and freeze some gravy.

it was kidlet's day off so she came over to watch netflix.  her wifi gets hooked up tomorrow.  nice to have company for the day.

i like this one on perspective!!!!

another . . .

very lazy sleepy day.  i guess i haven't been sleeping particularly well.  i got up at 6 to feed my crew and joanie's, chatted for a bit on the phone and feel back to sleep . . . until 2:39 p.m.  what???  yep!!!!

spent some time texting back and forth with robin exploring our options for crete.  she found a winery tour.  slurp!!!  also discussing whether kusadasi will be kept on the menu and what about nice.  the world is getting to be a scary, scary place.  decision to be made.  go out and venture forth or stay home and shrivel.  go forth.  live your life until you can't.

spent three.  read that again.  THREE hours on the phone with the beard.  how is that possible?

today . . .

is a down day. 

stuck my nose in a book this morning and forgot to take it out.  finished gun play by faye kellerman.  it's been a long time since i read one of her decker series and i'd forgotten how much i enjoy her.

another all veggie day:  cucumber, avocado, black olive, crouton and bleu cheese salad for lunch and fried eggplant with marinated basil and herbed goat cheese for dinner.  wine is a veggie?  right?  down ten pounds. 

kitty sitting for joanie this week.  shebs actually likes me and it's only been how many years.  insert chuckle.  i knew i'd get to her eventually.

spent the day with . . .

the beard.

played in the pool.

chattered non-stop

i cooked the corn on the cob and sauteed the mushrooms

he wrapped bacon around the filet mignons and grilled them

it's nice to be happy again.

i have lost my brains . . .

was trying to balance my checkbook yesterday since i let it go for two months.  added one column up seven times and got seven different answers.  luckily kidlet was home and with nimble fingers, gave me the right total.  to save face, it was one of the seven different sums i came up with.

then i tried to pour a glass of wine but managed to break the cork off in the bottle.  kidlet to the rescue.

fast forward to today, a friend of mine noticed i had posted my cell number on facebook.  rut roh.  i thought i had posted it on our private high school group.  i removed it.  then the beard called to yip
at me about it, suggesting that the entire population of stark prison probably has it by now.  gulp.

and then, i killed my paper shredder with one too many staples.

as soon as my sheets are out of the dryer, i am going to pull the covers up over my head and try again tomorrow.

score . . .

i bought a basic sleeveless top from loft a week or so back when it was on sale.  finally wore it and love it.  soft.  long enough.  super comfy. 

today loft is having a one day sale.  same tee, $8.  i bought four more.  happy. happy.  they'll be perfect for the cruise. 

i'll leave you with this:

 and this one:

another lazy day . . .

nancy and i met at la's for lunch.  they had my favorite mushroom marsala soup.  slurp.  and they finally have a full liquor license.  not that i imbibe at lunch all that often but still, it's good for business.

while at the wedding on sunday, i discovered this wonderful herbal iced tea called bengal spice.  so good.  and since i live on iced tea in the summer, color me happy.

and this afternoon, i decided to take my mini iPad and read in the pool.  a good afternoon was had by this person.

and FINALLY got our flights straightened out for the cruise.  delta dropped the change fee for us and is reimbursing the non-refundable upgrade on the longest leg.  happy.  happy.

and this one sneaked under the wire.  it's for the nancie rowe-janitz creative team:

food glorious food . . .

finally loaded up the fridge.  even so, it looks bleak.  but at least there's a bottle of wine in there.

i never realized how much space is taken up by half used bottles of salad dressing, hot sauce from 2012, left over duck sauce packs, mystery meat and fuzzy fruit.

 i think it was someone's devious ploy to make me clean the fridge and toss out all the old goodies.

it worked.

get me to the church on time . . .

today the beard and i went to a friend of his wedding over in oviedo.  she is 71.  he a few years older.  they are best friends and have been living together for three or more years.  they decided it was time.  their back yard is a work of art with plants galore, tucked away seating areas, fountains, and partially hidden statues.  although it was miserably hot out, the ceremony was perfect for them.  lots of joking and kidding around.  love is wonderful at any age.  the joy was delicious.

of course driving to oviedo meant a meeting of my miata and i-4.  that is never a good combination.  thankfully we both did just fine . . . sweat stains aside.

tomorrow i'm off to publix to restock the fridge.  i see crab cakes in my future.

hen lunch . . .

back at river grille and discovered my new favorite.  i've always loved their wedge salad with half a head of iceberg lettuce, crispy bacon, tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles and blue cheese dressing but add some blacked chicken and oh my.  slurp.  i forgot to take a shot.  boo.

doing a happy dance . . .

my fridge is back up and running around the kitchen.  happy.  happy.

ran some errands that needed being done but mostly i hid inside and out of the heat.

been playing on photoshop and should have something to share by tomorrow.

the hen lunch was suspended until tomorrow because i didn't know how long surgery on the fridge would last.

and i even sneaked in a nap.

a good day.

and here is mine:

ha ha,  you thought i was going to say you, didn't you????

slow day in black rock . . .

walked a little this morning with joanie but the heat really makes it messy.  ended up in the pool and for the very first time, it just wasn't even all the refreshing.  even pip wanted to head back into the house and she loves the pool deck.

finally got around to replacing some batteries for the alarm system.  i need to remember to pick up more next time i'm at walmart.  they all seem to go out at once.  them and the fluorescent  bulbs.  i need to replace those in the garage, half bath and kitchen.  they are seem determined to die together.

and laundry.  how can one person have so much laundry?  well granted a lot of towels ended up under the fridge sopping up water drips.  tomorrow, tomorrow, she sang as visions of having a fridge again flutter around her head.  we have moved our hen lunch to saturday just in case the repairs take longer then expected.

and on that note, i am going to stick my nose back in james patterson's NYPDRed4.

namaste.

productive day . . .

spent the morning cleaning the fridge until it shines.

spent the afternoon getting the gray washed out of my hair.

spent the evening trying to get our flights into athens straightened out.

namaste.

lazy days of summer . . .

a not quite as long walk this morning.  no breeze.  i cheated and took a short cut.

lunch at la's with a freebie cupcake dessert made from rich chocolate and carmel.  oh slurp!!!

i need to make a run to total wine . . .  the cellar is empty . . . but it was just too hot out.

a quick call to the fridge guy . . . the temps???  85 and 57.  eek.  he told me how to shut that puppy down.

ran to panera's for dinner.  i've been eating better but the fridge situation makes that harder.  that's my story and i'm sticking to it.

happy fourth of july . . .

a very low key day in the cave.  a little insomnia kept me snuggled in bed until almost 11:oo.  oh yes. i finally decided the pool was a much better place to be.  not much beats floating around and around while working a crossword puzzle.

and then i decided to be a little productive and altered two tulip tops i purchased last month.  i loved them but if the wind blew, there is only so much of a 67 year old body that anyone wants to see.

where the right hand and left hand sizes meet, there is no stitching except up at the neckline.  well, until my trusty sewing machine and i went to town.  now both this one and the same one in teal are a little more wearer friendly.

and then as long as the ironing board was out, i finished up the last of the three sundresses.  just for one second in time, everything that needs to be ironed is.  yay!!!

next on my agenda is cleaning the dead fridge.  there were two dead hotdogs at the bottom of the freezer under the baskets.  no telling how long they've been there.  ewwww!

and last but not least, kidlet look at these.  hint. hint.  hint.

sunday . . .

it's 8:55 and i'm still in one piece.  the curse is broken!!!!

went to see tarzan today, and he had a beard.

my fridge is starting to be aromatic.  tomorrow's job.

bubble wrap needed . . .

this month is not starting out wonderfully for us klutzes of the world. 

the fridge as i mentioned, is dying.  so everything is melting.  think ice.  think wet tile floor.  think jeanne on her butt.  think kidlet doing a spectacular job of containing her laughter.

she was over picking up gravy that would otherwise die here.  and the shrimp i cooked and peeled.  it needed a home.  whatever she didn't want, went home to her friends.  everything else is stuffed in the garage. 

at least i didn't get burnt ironing. 

life is good. 

ugh . . .

it's not that today was bad.  just a little less paradise-al than usual. 

my fridge was reading temps much higher than normal.  something was up.  i thought maybe because we had storms last night that i lost power for a bit but no flashing lights on the stove panel and the temps were climbing higher in the fridge. in comes my favorite appliance repair man.  he's the honest one who tells you when you just need to cut your losses and buy a new something something.  it's the compressor.  dying.  ok.  a new fridge is 2K - 3K range,  a new compressor is $550.  it's eight years old.  a kitchenaid.  hum.  together we opt to have it fixed.  but this is a holiday weekend.  the compressor is ordered but arrival and instillation not until next friday.  boo.  he mentioned buying a $129 dorm sized fridge as a bridge and then i would have backup for sodas, beer, wine, beer, watermelons, beer.  the garage how has a new fridge.  as soon as it cools to temp, i'll start moving all the refrigerated goods that are currently in the not so cold freezer to the garage.  

i'm on the phone when i spy something on the foyer wall.  a bug.  a rather large bug.  i wait with a wet paper towel until it crawls down to my reach.  darn bug scutters under a framed photo.  i lift the photo, grazing my face with the frame.  kill the bug.  rehang the picture and pass a mirror.  the frame had happily sliced open my chin.  with joanie driving, we head to our hen lunch with me still trying to get it to stop bleeding.  arrrggh.  it did.  it will add character.  right?

and so, i decided to crawl back under the bed and will try again tomorrow.