Tuesday, January 31, 2012

My fisherman husband caught 5 more fish fish today, 2 catfish and 3 croppy. We ate the fish from yesterday for dinner and they were delicious. I think I can get used to eating fresh fish on a regular basis. We made plans this morning to visit John's parents in Venice, FL over the weekend. We are looking forward to seeing them and playing a little bridge.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Well, the fishing license has already paid off. John caught 5 croppy fish. We are having them for dinner tomorrow night. Yum Yum!

The thermometer took a nose dive yesterday. Today and yesterday, the high temperature was 68 degrees. Not bad for February, but not the 80 degrees it was last week. John said that he would have caught even more if the temps were still in the 80s. Everyone around here keeps talking about how we need rain so badly. The water level of Lake Monroe is very low. We have less than 2 feet below our boat. If it doesn't rain and raise the level, we may not be able to leave here when we had planned, which isn't until February, somewhere between the 15th and the 28th. We shall see what happens.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

John broke down and bought a fishing license today. Then we went out to buy a minnow bucket. By the time we got to the bait shop, it was closed. Poor John; he'll have to wait until tomorrow to go fishing. Oh well, he's waited this long, another day won't be so bad.

Norm and Sue got back from their visit to N. Fort Myers, FL. It will be nice to hang out with them tomorrow.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

John and I worked on the outside of the boat today. We started with the windshield cover. It's white and needed to be scrubbed really, really bad. However, it had torn along the bottom edge of the center section. We had taped it back together with white duct tape. We have contacted a person to make a new cover, but we don't know when that will happen. So, we started to remove the cover and it is so brittle and dry rotted that it tore in many more places. We removed it and kept it for a pattern for the new one. In the meantime, we put the original windshield cover on. It's navy blue like the rest of the canvas. It makes the inside of the boat so very dark. Anyway, we washed the windshield and John caulked around the windshield where the caulk had cracked. Then, we moved up to the bridge and washed the isinglass.

After dinner, we walked about a block to the parking lot where there was a car show going on. After walking around awhile and feeling like we got our exercise, we returned to the boat. All in all, a pretty productive day.

P.S. Diane, I made one of your recipes in the crockpot for dinner tonight. It was yummy.

Friday, January 27, 2012

I hope you can see that the wallpaper has a basketweave pattern on it.

This goes from the wall that the door is on (port side), all the way around to the wall that the door is on (starboard side).

We have been collecting recall notices for our van for some time now. Today we went to the Chrysler dealership to make an appointment to have all of them taken care of. Our A/C isn't working properly on the van either. So, that will be fixed as well.

We were planning to visit John's brother and sister-in-law in Texas in February, but now with this surgery hanging over my head, unfortunately, we'll have to put that off until much later. We were so looking forward to seeing them. We'll get there, sooner or later.

Along with this blog are a couple of pictures of the wallpaper we had put up in the V Berth. I hope they are clear and light enough to figure out what you are looking at. We really like the finished product.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

It's really warm today, especially since the main air conditioner is not working. Gina sent our mail and it arrived today. Mail is always greatly anticipated. We are so grateful to Gina for taking care of that for us all of the time. Not much else is going on today. So, until tomorrow.....

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

John's Uncle Paul and his cousin David came on their motorcycles to visit us today. We walked into town and had dinner at Christo's. After dinner, we walked back to the marina and then drove to their hotel. We played Farkle in the breakfast room of the hotel. John and I enjoyed our too short visit with them both.

Norm and Sue have gone visiting friends for a few days. It's going to seem strange here without them. The weather was awesome again today. It's in the 80s again and supposed to be nice for the rest of the week. Saturday is supposd to have a high in the 70s. I can definitely live with that. It's so much better than the frigid temps in Cincinnati.

Tuesday. January 24. 2012

I am so excited! Today we had a lady come to the boat and wallpaper the drop part of the ceiling in the V-Berth. It looks awesome. John and I originally thought we would do this ourselves. When we brought the wallpaper back to the boat and looked at the area we wanted to paper, we decided that we didn't have a clue how to do the curved part. I am so glad that we decided to have someone else do it for us. We found Donna on Angie's list. Not only is she an excellent wallpaperer, but she has wallpapered on several of the boats here in this harbor. It took us a long time to decide exactly what we wanted to do in the V-Berth. I feel certain that we made the right decision.

We are also excited because we are having company tomorrow. John's uncle and cousin are coming to visit. We are looking forward to seeing them both.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Today was my doctor appointment with the surgeon. It seems that my gallbladder will be removed on Feb. 10. The surgery will be outpatient and done at the medical center. It doesn't sound like it should be a big deal. Recovery time is just a few days. That was good news.

It's nice and warm here. It's in the 80s. We discovered that our air conditioner we just had worked on while we were home for Christmas, isn't working. The heater part of it works fine, but now that it's warm enough to use the air conditioner-------nothing. That will have to be addressed very soon. Everything else is just fine here.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

John and I went to All Souls Church this morning and they had two Baptisms. The Church had a lot more children, in general, than usual. We enjoyed seeing all of the babies sitting around us. There was one set of twins who were so cute. After breakfast, we were visited by a lady who has a boat on this dock. It was nice chatting with her.

John and Norm walked (very close to here) to a gun show. Sue and I enjoyed talking while they were gone. The pictures of the sunsets were taken during Happy Hour tonight. "Red sky at night, sailor's delight." I love the gorgeous sunsets.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Military motorcycle with sidecar and machine gun.

Car like the one in Smoky and the Bandit, complete with runaway bride.

Carol, Rita, and Bob.

John and I drove to The Villages today to visit with our friends Rita and Bob. We went out to lunch with them at TOOJAYS. We had never been there before and the food was really good. There was an antique car show there and we walked around for an hour or so, looking at all of the cool cars. Then they gave us a tour of the entire Villages. Wow, what a complex. They have multiples of everything. There are many golf courses, swimming pools, shuffleboard, bocce courts, bowling alleys, rec centers, move theaters, shops of all kinds, many restaurants, a hospital, and a nursing home. I'm certain I'm forgetting something. Everything you could want is right there. We had a great time. It was only about an hour ride from the marina. Hopefully, they will be able to come here to visit us before we move on.

Friday, January 20, 2012

John and I went shopping this morning. Then we spent time cleaning on the boat. After Happy Hour, we walked into town and went to The Willow Tree for soft pretzels and beer. We met several interesting people while sitting at the bar. The weather was nice and when we left the bar, we strolled through town, talking and solving all the world's problems. We thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Well, the doctor's office did not call with a cancellation, so my appointment will be Monday at 1:30. Today Norm and Sue, and John and I went out for lunch to an outside restaurant called Gators which is next door to a marina. It was pleasant sitting outdoors and enjoying lunch and each other's company. After lunch, we went back to the boat and washed isinglass. Not fun, but something that needed to be done. We had Happy Hour on Norm and Sue's boat and then we grilled supper on out aft deck. All in all, it was a good day!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Outside

V Berth

Salon

Master Stateroom

Aft Head

Galley

Forward Head

Oops! I forgot to blog last night. Sorry. Yesterday was better than the day before. Today was even better than yesterday. My back and leg both feel almost normal. Yea!!!! We've spent the past two days sprucing up the boat. It feels good to get rid of the clutter and to be able to accomplish something again. It was nice when John was making dinner and doing dishes, etc., but now that's my job again. Thanks, John, I really appreciate all you do.

When we were at home for the holidays, I was asked if I would put some pictures of the boat in the blog. So, I am attaching a few pictures of the inside and outside of the boat.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Today was the first nearly normal day in a week. John took me to the laundromat this morning and lifted all of the baskets for me. While I was gone, John did my housework, including getting the strings off of the roller on the bottom of the vacuum cleaner. After that was accomplished, we went for a walk into town. We had Happy Hour with Norm and Sue and then ordered a pizza for dinner with them. All in all, it was a good day and my back is feeling sooo much better.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Last night as I tried to blog, the Internet connection kept coming and going and going and going. I finally gave up and I am just now getting back to blog. Yesterday, I was feeling pretty good and we drove to the hospital to pick up my records. However, the office wasn't open on Saturday and I have to wait until Tuesday because of Martin Luther King Day. We then went to Lowe's and West Marine. We had lunch at Riverwalk, a pizza place next door to the marina before going back to the boat. The rest of the day was spent trying to organize all of the paper clutter and arrange a place for the paperwork for taxes. Yuck!!! But, it is so nice to feel like doing something.

Friday, January 13. 2012

Well, today is Friday the 13th. It seemed just like yesterday to me, nothing spooky happening. John completed his wiring job up on the bridge. I read a whole book today called "Heaven is for Real". We had Happy Hour on our back deck with Norm and Sue. It was a really good Happy Hour. We shared some interesting conversation and I, for one, had a great time. They all had a good time last night in town. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to go along. If I feel as good tomorrow as I do today, I believe we will venture out for a spell. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

John has been a busy guy today. He has done my chores which includes cooking and vacuuming. Then he spent the bulk of the afternoon rewiring the navigational instruments on the bridge to organize the wiring and make it neater.

But, for me, it's boring just sitting around all day. Daytime TV is the pits. Tonight the town of Sanford closed the main street again for their once a month Thursday evening party. The theme this month is Chili. Norm and Sue invited us to walk to town with them for the festivities. I considered going, but thought better of it even though I would have loved to go. John went up for a very short while. He needed to walk and get a little exercise. He was back in no time, not even eating at the festival. We had our own chili on our boat for dinner.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

What a difference a day makes! While I am not 100%, the medications have made a vast difference in how I feel. John keeps on being Mr. Mom. Today he fixed a turkey dinner complete with homemade stuffing. I could get used to this. He has talents he's never let me see before! It's difficult to sit around and do nothing.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

It would have been okay with me if we skipped today altogether. I was awake almost all night last night because of my back. In the morning, I called my family doctor's office and was told to go to the ER. We arrived at 8:50 A.M. After X-rays and a CT Scan, the doctor gave me four shots of pain killers, a muscle relaxer, and anti-nausea medicine. Even after all of that, it still kills. He also is sending me to a surgeon for my gall bladder. It doesn't hurt at all, but he saw something he didn't like on the X-ray and on the CT Scan. We left the hospital at 5:00 P.M., still feeling not so wonderful.

The hospital was an interesting place today though. While we were there, they put me in the hall instead of a room because of space. From that vantage point, we saw the whole show. First, EMTs brought in a guy who died. Then, a man who appeared to be homeless, lost it and started throwing punches at the male nurse and security guard. Then, a whiner came in and threatened to sue the hospital because he said the nurse didn't treat him with respect. The place was hopping with critical patients everywhere, but he thought they should drop everything and take care of his ankle. I guess he doesn't understand priorities.

John is wonderful! He took me to the hospital. He wouldn't eat or drink anything all day long because they wouldn't let me eat or drink anything and he thought it would be impolite to eat and drink in front of me. He made dinner when we got home and did dishes. Thank you!

Monday, January 9, 2012

We did some chores today, but I think I overdid it. Tomorrow will be a day of resting so that the old back can have a chance to get back to normal. There are so many things we want to do and they are not happening because of this. Tomorrow is another day. I feel bad for John because I'm not very good company right now.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

This morning began with going to Church. We left right after Communion because of my sciatica. Kneeling was impossible. We didn't do much today, mostly I'd do one thing physical and then lie down or sit down with the heating pad on. The muscle relaxers are making me very sleepy. We had Happy Hour with Norm and Sue last night and tonight. It's nice to have them back here again.

The weather is cool in the evenings and in the 70s during the day. This is John's favorite kind of weather. The water level of Lake Monroe had dropped about a foot while we were at home. Hopefully, it won't drop any more because we don't want to be sitting on the bottom. There is still one and a half feet of water below us.

Back in Florida

Bowling Alley on New Year's Day

Lindy was exceptionally excited at her birthday party

Lindy's Dora cake

Christmas Day with my brothers and sisters.

After several doctor's appointments, John and I both are healthy and happy.

We celebrated Lindy's 4th birthday on the 29th. She certainly had a good time. She was so wound up, it was fun to be around her and see her so excited. I think she was more excited about her birthday than she was about Christmas. Perhaps that's because it was all about Lindy. Gina made her a Dora cake that she had requested.

New Year's Eve was spent at Gina and Jim's house. We played Euchre, the girls against the boys. The boys won every game. That was really irritating! Oh, well, it's just a game. On New Year's Day, our family has a tradition where we go bowling at Colerain Bowl with our Focke relatives and friends. After bowling, my brothers and sisters and their families go back to Mom's and party a little bit more. We eat fried chicken and watch the football games. This year our son-in-law brought a projector and showed the Bengal's game on the wall. It was awesome!

The following day, we had a little snow and ice in the morning and then again in the afternoon. It seemed like the road crews had no idea it was coming. My friends from high school and I got together on that day. Amazingly, all ten of us were present. That's the first time in a long time that we were all together. We call ourselves "The Damn Club". The rest of the week was filled up with the doctor appointments. Glad to be caught up in that department.

We left Cincinnati on Thursday after the last appointment and arrived in Sanford yesterday. The boat is still floating and everything is as we left it. There were no bad smells, which makes us both very happy. We are always afraid that we will miss some food item that might start to smell nasty if it's left on the boat for that long.

We went to Wing House to watch the Bengal's game this afternoon with Norm and Sue. We were all really disappointed at the outcome of the game.

I will try to add pictures to this blog tomorrow. It's late and I'm tired and going to bed. Good night to you all!