Grown-ups In A Candy Store and A Visit With Very Good Friends

DeBary, FL.

45 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = High temp. 72 deg. mostly sunny, NE wind at 10 to 15 mph.


As planned, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Wildwood yesterday morning. They left about 10:15 and by 11:35 they were pulling up in front of the Russell Stover Candies Store on the West side of town.

They spent about 1/2 hour wandering around in the store, buying sugar free candy for Linda, before heading further West to look for a place to eat, out by I-75.  Most of the restaurants were very crowded and they finally settled on the Waffle House where there just happened to a few parking places near the entrance.

After a tasty meal, they headed over to Donna and Monte's house, arriving there a little after 1:00.

They have a very nice double-wind located on a small lake.

This is the view from their back yard.  Nice!!!

After H and H, (Hugs and Handshakes), they all sat at the kitchen table and talked and talked, catching up on what has been happening in their lives since they last saw one another.

Both Jim and Linda said that it was sure good to see Donna and Monte again and visit with them. In fact it was about 4:30 before they left and traveled the hour and a half back here to DeBary, arriving back home about 6:00 pm.

Both Jim and Linda were tired by the time they returned, but it was a very good day, visiting with very good friends.

Did you know that in 1923 Clara and Russell Stover began making candy in the kitchen of their Denver bungalow home? The company, initially employing seven employees was first known as Mrs. Stover's Bungalow Candies.

Woof!!!

A Little Trip To See Good Friends

DeBary, FL.

47 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. Highs around 68°F. Northwest wind 11 to 17 MPH, gusting to 24 MPH.


I haven't posted because I really haven't had much to post about. Nothing special happening. nothing new with Linda or Jim, just everyday living.

Boring!!!!!! ;-(

Today though, Jim and Linda will be taking Big RED and heading over to Wildwood, FL to see some very good RVing friends that they haven't seen for at least 2 years. Their names are Donna and Monte and they've known them since way back in 2001 when we started full-timing. But it was 9/11/2001 when they really became good friends.

You see, we were at the Prairie Pines Campground, up in Rantoul, when those planes crashed into the twin towers, all those people died and all that other stuff happened. Donna and Monte were there too, and everyone just kind of hung out together, not knowing what was going to happen in the future. We, along with 3 or 4 other full-time couples stayed there for a good part of the summer and waited.

Friends that you make at times like that are really special as you kind of "bond" together. We've lost contact with a few of the other couples, but have always stayed in contact with Donna and Monte, and of course Paul and Louise, who manage the CG up there.

Donna and Monte had to quit RVing quite a few years ago because of health problems, so they bought a double wide home in Wildwood when they "hung up the keys". Since then they have  either come to see us or Jim and Linda have gone to see them almost every year that we have been in Florida for the winter.

So, about 10;00 or so, Jim and Linda will head over to Wildwood. The plan is to first go to the Russel Stover store over there, so that Linda can get some sugar-free candy. Then stop someplace for lunch before heading to Donna and Monte's house.

It should be a fun day. Jim and Linda are looking forward to seeing their friends again. :-)


Did you know that Wildwood is located at the juncture of Interstate 75, Florida's Turnpike, State Road 44, and U.S. Highway 301 and is often referred to as "The Crossroads of Florida"?

Woof!!!

We Missed Spring and Waiting

DeBary, FL.

64 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.


I know they're saying that spring has just started, but down here in Florida, we're already into summer. (At least that's what it feels like). We've had temperatures in the mid to upper 80's for most of the last week and on our thermometer on the North side of the house, it was over 90 yesterday. I have to admit that the humidity isn't as bad as it gets later on, but it's been plenty high already.

The thing is, we have to stay here at least, for almost another month, and I'm not looking forward to even higher temperatures and humidity. :-(

 Yesterday, Big RED took Linda and Jim over to the Quest Diagnostic place where she had her semi-annual blood test to be sent back to her GP in Illinois. The test went smoothly and afterwords, they headed over to the 4 B's Restaurant for breakfast.

 Other than that, nothing much new happening around here. Pretty much, we're waiting until Linda has that PET Scan on the 6th of April. Only after that, can we be sure if we'll be able to get back out on the road about the middle of the month.

The uncertainty is not easy for Jim and Linda to deal with. They would like to make definite travel plans, but until the results of the scan are back, everything is pretty much on hold. Jim has already made a reservation on a waterfront RV site up in Myrtle Beach and hopefully he won't have to cancel it. There's only a few waterfront sites, and, as a matter of fact, when he called the other day, there was only one site left for the dates we're planning on being there.

So, we wait!! Jim and Linda will be getting Nora, (our travel trailer), ready to go and Jim has already started going through tote boxes to weed out things we won't be needing for summer travels up to Illinois.

A Point to Ponder : The best way to save face to keep the lower part shut.

Woof!!!

Computer Repaired!!!!

DeBary, FL.

69 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.

Whew!!!!! Lucked out!!!!

Friday morning, Jim called David,  The Florida PC Doctor  and told him that this laptop computer was still locked up. He gave Jim his home address and told him that if he could bring it to his house and give it to his wife, he would look at it as soon as he arrived home, (sometime during Friday afternoon).  So, after programming the address into Tillie, (the GPS Unit), Jim and  Linda hopped into Big RED and headed over to his house.

David's house is over in Enterprise, which is a small town about 8 or 10 miles from here, so even though it was all city/residential roads over there, it only took about 20 minutes to get there. David's wife was very nice and helpful and soon Big RED was on his way back to DeBary.

On the way back, they stopped by Walgreen's and picked up a prescription for Jim and a few other items before returning here to the house.

Later Friday, David called and told Jim that he had gotten the computer unlocked, but that he wanted to run a few programs on it to make sure everything was working properly and to make sure that there wasn't any virus or malware still on the computer. He said that he'd call Jim when he was finished.

Well, yesterday morning, (Saturday), he called and soon Jim and Linda were heading over there to pick up the computer. David got everything cleaned up and now it's working just fine again with no loss of data!! :-) Whew!!!!

Normally, David comes to where ever you are to repair a computer, as he really doesn't really have a shop at home. But, being that he was so busy with this problem that was going on with so many computers, he made an exception for us.

Thank you, David, for the prompt and excellent service at a reasonable price!!!

If you're ever in the DeBary/Orange City, Deltona/Sanford area, and need help with a computer problem, give The Florida PC Doctor a call!!!

He's one of the "Good Guys"!!!  :-)

Did you know that "Touch-Tone Phones were introduced in 1964?

Woof!!!

Computer Problems

DeBary, FL.

66 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph.

The other day, just after Jim finished reading blogs and checking the news on the laptop computer, he went to shut it down and there was a message that there was an automatic update. It said that it would update automatically or he could choose to update right then.

He chose to update then.

Well, it started the update and then as the computer was updating, this normal message came up. It says "Getting Windows Ready, Don't shut off your computer". All seemed to going well, but the message just stayed there and it never went away. In other words, the computer just stopped working, right in the middle of the update!!!!

Jim tried a few things, but nothing seemed to work, so finally after about 2 hours, he called The Florida PC Doctor. Dave is the one who set the laptop up for Jim and Linda originally and he's very knowledgeable and his prices are reasonable.

Come to find out, there are many computers that are having a problem. It seems that there's a program called Panda Antivirus, (that is installed on the laptop), that had a problem and messed everything up. Dave has been working non-stop to try to fix everyone's computers, (a lot of businesses in the area included), so today, I think that Jim is going to take ours over to his house so he can work on it when he gets home.

In the meantime, the desktop computer that Linda uses was not affected because it doesn't have the Panda software, so we are still able to get on the internet. I'm having a real problem with using it though. I've almost fallen twice and it's very inconvenient for me!!

So, we're hoping that Dave can fix the laptop and that the glitch hasn't wiped out a bunch of stuff, which I understand is very possible. :-(

A Point to Ponder: Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

Woof!!!

New Glasses and Dave And Dee Dee Stop By

DeBary, FL.

51 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast - Partly cloudy. Highs around 77°F. North northeast wind 4 to 9 MPH.


By his eye doctor up in Illinois, it was suggested that Jim get new glasses back in 2013, but then Linda got sick and so they were kind of put on hold. Well, Wednesday, Jim decided that it was time. so he and Linda took Big RED and headed over to the 20/20 Eyeglass Superstore in Orange City.

They have a special where if you buy one pair of glasses, you get a second pair free for yourself or a family member and the plan was to get Jim a new pair of glasses and then Linda could get the second free pair. Well, all of that went according to plan, but when the optometrists learned that Linda was getting the injections in her eye, she suggested that Linda not get glasses right now as the injections more than likely were affecting her vision and new glasses would probably be a waste of money.

So, what to do?

Well, Jim still needed new glasses so he went ahead and had the exam and picked out the new frames. He didn't need a second pair of glasses, so being that Linda wouldn't  be getting the second free pair, the manager at the store started discounting Jim's glasses. She discounted his glasses to 1/2 price, and also gave him a large discount on the optional transition lenses he wanted.

Once Linda's eyes stabilize she will be able to get new glasses, but for now, the reading glasses that she purchased at Walgreen's are working quite well.

Thursday, Dave and Dee Dee, (Part of the Illinois Bunch), stopped by.  They were on their way from Thonotosassa, (where they now have a "Park Model Home", to visit some people in Orange City for a few days. They stayed and visited for a couple hours before heading over there. It was sure good to see them again and tentative plans were made to meet up with them up in Rantoul, sometime this fall.

Thanks for stopping by, Dave and Dee Dee, Jim and Linda really enjoyed your visit!! :-)

Friday, Jim went back to the eyeglass store and picked up his new glasses. They're a little different than his last ones, but I like them and he says that he can see better with them.

Nothing much else to report. A small leak had appeared out in the storage shed so Jim called Kevin, (a local handyman), and he came over one day and caulked an area where there were the screws go through the roof to fasten it to the shed walls. Other than that, it's just been the normal day-to-day things like laundry and grocery shopping.


Did you know that Salvino D'Armate probably invented eyeglasses in around 1285, though various sources suggest an earlier origin. He shared the invention of his new device with Allesandro della Spina, an Italian monk, who made it public and is often credited with inventing eyeglasses. The first eyeglasses had frames made of metal or bone and had lenses made out of quartz because the ''opticians'' of that time didn't have the capabilities of producing flawless lenses in glass.

Woof!!!

Wild Hog Cookout and 30

DeBary, FL.

62 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Foggy this morning, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 82F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.


Last Thursday evening, Jim and Linda decided that they wanted to go out to eat someplace. Neither of them wanted a big meal, so they headed for Arby's cause they had a bunch of coupons from there.  On the way, they stopped at a gas station and bought Big RED a nice big drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel.

Nothing much happened Friday or Saturday, but Sunday, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed for Frostproof, FL. where Roland and Louise spend the winters in their double-wide home. I don't know if you remember or not, but a couple weeks ago, Roland called and invited them to come down there for a "wild hog cookout", and Sunday was the day they were having it.

Roland said that they'd be eating about 2:30, but for Jim and Linda to come early if they could, so about 11;30, they loaded their lawn chairs and a desert that Linda had made into Big RED and headed down there. It's about 95 miles from here to Frostproof, and about the only way to go is to follow I-4 down through Orlando and past the "Attraction" to US 27, and then take 27, with all it's stop lights, down to Frostproof.

The trip took Big RED about an hour and 45 minutes. He said that at times they were traveling close to 70 mph and at other times just crawling along while on I-4. One on US 27 he said that he had to stop frequently at the many stop lights along that route.

The "wild hog cookout turned out to be a huge success!! All the food was placed on tables inside of a Florida Room in the house next to Roland and Louise's.

Oh! Oh!  I'd better stop and explain here that Roland and 3 other friends from the park, (one of them who lives in the home next to them), went hog hunting awhile back. The got 3 hogs and so after butchering, they had lots of meat. So, they all cooked some of their meat in their own homes and brought it to Roland's neighbor's home where it was set out on the tables in the Florida Room along with all the dishes that other people brought. (this was a potluck type meal).

So, with the food all placed on the tables, and other tables set up in the car ports of that house and the house across the street, people started arriving and soon there were people everywhere sitting talking and waiting for the time when they could sample the wild hog cooked in 3 or 4 different ways.

The photo above is the home where all the food was placed in the Florida Room. If you look close, you can see the tables set up inside. (click on the photo ot enlarge it if you want). You can also see the tables set up in the car port where about 1/2 of the 110 people that were friends or from the park would eat their meals after they filled their plates.

This photo is of the car port across the street from the above home. It is where Jim, Linda, Roland and Louise and the other 1/2 of the 110 people enjoyed their meals. ;-)

While they were eating a group of 5 folks from the park entertained everyone with harmonica music.

After everyone was finished eating, Jim took this photo of (from left to right), Linda, Roland and Louise.

Both Jim and Linda really enjoyed the day, visiting with Roland and Louise, meeting many people from the Southern Pines Park and enjoying a great meal.

Thank You, Roland and Louise!!!!!

It was fairly late by the time Big RED brought Jim and Linda back here to DeBary. Both of them were tired, but they had a great day!!

OH!!! and it was also a great way for Jim and Linda to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary!!!!

Yep!!! 30 years!!! And you know what? They're still in love!!!! :-)


Did  you know that the 30th wedding anniversary is considered the "Pearl" anniversary?

Woof!!!