We're Back At Highbanks

DeBary, Fl. (Highbanks Marina & Camp Resort)

59 Deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Plentiful sunshine. High 86F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.

Much to my disappointment, we didn't go to Highbanks Friday, so Saturday morning, bright and early, I was waiting by the door, ready to go. ;-)

Actually, Jim and Linda had packed up a whole bunch of stuff on Friday and taken it out to Big RED, so there really wasn't that much to do before we left the house Saturday morning.

As soon as Jim started carrying things out, I ran out to Big RED to make sure they didn't forget to take me!!!!

By about 10:30 or so, we were on our way to Highbanks. :-)  Once there, it took quite awhile for Jim and Linda to get everything carried inside and put away. In fact by the time they were done, they were both tuckered out and ended up taking naps.

Not a whole lot has happened since our arrival. Saturday evening, Jim cooked some burgers on his little charcoal grill while Linda put salads together inside. Sunday, Jim cooked a large pork chop on the grill and Linda cooked asparagus inside and got out some French Bread to go with it.

They have been organizing and reorganizing both days and there's still a tote in the back of Big RED that needs to be gone through and the contents put in boxes that are in the outside storage area of the trailer. Jim also hooked up a different water filter that he bought at Low's the other day so that we'd all have better tasting water to drink.

He had been using one of those in-line hose filters, but it wasn't doing the job and the water tasted like chlorine. :-(

I don't know exactly how long we'll be staying here this time. A lot will depend on how Linda feels and they also have to take into consideration that this Thursday, Linda has to go in for another Chemo Treatment and then, that injection on Friday. :-(

The weather has been great since we've been here at Highbanks. The highs have been in the lower to mid 80's with low humidity and there has been a nice breeze blowing. The nights have actually felt kind of cool, with lows in the upper 50's. That's going to change though, they're forecasting highs in the mid to upper 90's starting on Thursday and staying that warm throughout the weekend. And, of course, that also means much higher humidity. :-(

Linda seems to be doing better. She's feeling pretty well, the rash and the itching are gone, but now her skin is peeling, just like it would as if she was getting over a sunburn. She's very fatigued most of the time and gets aggravated when she tries to do things and can't because she has to rest all the time or ask Jim to help her. She's trying real hard to keep her spirits up though and I really think it's been good for her coming out here to the CG.

Did you know that May is "National Salad Month"?

Woof!!!

Normal Things, Thonotosassa and A Name

DeBary, FL.

50 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 72F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

Not a whole lot happening the last few days. The laundry has been done, Jim's been working on re-arranging the workshop, Linda's been doing some embroidery work and they've both been trying to do the normal things that people do, day to day.

We've had a lot of rain the last few days so other than Jim taking Linda to the chemo place to get her blood test on Thursday, they haven't gone out much. It did stop raining for a short while yesterday afternoon though, so Jim took the new truck to the station and filled it up with some #2 diesel at $3.99 per gallon. He had 2 reasons for wanting to fill it up. One, was so that he could start to calculate the mileage that the truck is getting and second, unless Linda is not feeling well when she gets up later, they're heading to the fish fry in Thonotosassa this afternoon!!!! :-)

Speaking of the new truck. I suppose that you've noticed that it doesn't have a name yet. Well, I've been waiting for Jim or Linda to come up with a name, but so far they haven't. So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  I'm taking the "Ram" by the horns and doing it!!! ;-)

First of all, the other day when I was out there checking it out, I realized that there is nothing meek or timid about this truck and with it's Cummins Diesel engine it's big and strong. To me, this means that it's a "he" and not a "she". The next thing I noticed when I was out there was that he had a name tag on his tailgate so he already has a name.

It's Laramie!!!!

When I was on his hood, (acting like a hood ornament), I talked to him a little and asked him if he minded if I called him Mr. L instead of Laramie? He said that he didn't mind and in fact he kind of liked it.;-)

So,  ,  ,  ,  "Mr. L" it is!!!!

This morning, Jim and Linda will be getting ready for the trip down to Thonotosassa this afternoon. Linda baked a cake yesterday afternoon, and Jim will be putting some lawn chairs in Mr. L. The weather is supposed to be nice for a change, so it should be a great day for a nice ride and a cook-out/fish fry!!! ;-)

Did you know that the oldest man to compete in the Summer Olympic Games was Oscar Swahn of Sweden in shooting (1908, 1912, and 1920)?  He became the oldest gold medalist when he won gold at 64 years and 280 days old in 1912, and the oldest medalist when he won silver in 1920 aged 72 years, 281 days old.

Woof!!!!

When They're Ready They Don't Mess Around

DeBary, FL'

73 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and a chance of rain. High of 97F. Winds from the WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

When Jim and Linda decide to go shopping for things for the house, they don't mess around!! ;-)

They took CLT and left here around 11:00 yesterday morning and headed over to the Target store in Orange City, which is just a few miles from here.

But wait!!! Let me back up a few hours!!! :-)

Before Linda even got up, Jim was on the computer researching TVs and microwaves, trying to find the best units for the money and also reading the many reviews that they had. He then went to the sale adds for this week and researched where the products that he was looking for were on sale as well as available in the stores. So, by the time Linda woke up, he had determined that Target had the items he thought they should  look at.

Well, the research paid off and after about an hour and a half or so, they came back with CLT's pickup bed full of items, like a TV, a microwave, a kitchen clock, a few small waste baskets, a milk crate type basket to put under the kitchen counter to put small items in and even some groceries that they picked up at the Winn Dixie Grocery store that they stopped at on the way back here!!  ;-)

After getting everything in the house and the groceries put away, Jim got the microwave set up on the kitchen counter and then tackled the TV. Getting the TV out of the box was the hardest part and soon he had it set up on the cabinet in the living room.

Now, there is no antenna or cable hookup yet, but they were able to watch a DVD and a VHS tape on the DVD/VHS recorder/player that they removed from Emrys before they traded him off for Bobbie T. ;-)

Today, I think Linda is planning on doing laundry. And, they still need to do a lot of reorganizing because it seems like everything they need, they have to hunt for. Just yesterday, when Jim was looking for batteries for the remote controls, he looked and looked before he finally found the box that they were in. And, it's been like that with many things. :-(

Jim and Linda are still struggling to cope with the high humidity and high temperatures down here in Florida. Everyone says that they'll get somewhat used to it as time goes by, but that doesn't really help right now when they need to get some things done.

Oh, I almost forgot!!! Last night for dinner, Linda heated up some leftovers in her brand new microwave oven!! ;-)  She says that it works great!!!!

Did you know that due to Florida's proximity to the equator, the state receives more than a hundred times the UV exposure that Maine does?

Woof!!!