Dont' Taze Me!

Nothing new happening with us today. We went to breakfast to start with because today was Senior Citizens Day for Breakfast at IHOP (very good). Don and his friends rode bikes over to the local flea market; while there, he found a World War II ration (I think he said it was one for sugar). I remember the stamps but not the little coin-looking things. I think I have seen some of those around but didn't know that's what they were. They are pretty valuable things though if you can find them. I remember my family using them back in the mid-40's when I was very small. Those times were very different; children today probably would have difficulty believing some of the things we know: dresses and shirts made from flour sacks; blackouts; radio only; and, oh, so many, many things I won't even go there. I know we wanted sweets but that was a real treat for us. Our parents did well by us though, as they tried to give usso many good things. I'm very proud of my parents and all the sacrifices they made for their children.

I heard today that some women are attending tazer parties instead of tupperware parties. These things are illegal in a few states but in most they are legal. They are available in pink with carry cases that include an MP-3. I think one has to be pretty proficient with one before they can purchase one. The ladies say they feel much safer with one and I certainly understand that. The concept is so new that I don't how I feel about them; perhaps it is a good idea for us ladies to protect ourselves. I think I would like to have one in my home. I'll have to think about this. I know I don't want to be tazed. Painful they say!

Creatures of Habit

The day disappeared practically before it began! I started out riding my bike a mile then just sitting and enjoying the Florida sun. We noted traffic was a bit heavier than usual much of the day and we were told that the voters were hitting the polls pretty regularly. The news people have been predicting all day that whichever Republican candidate won in Florida will be the winner of the nomination. The last I heard was a very close run between McCain and Romney. There has been speculation that Rudy will drop out if he doesn't do really well and some are trying to say that Huckabee will also drop out of the race. I don't know how they know these things but I do know that Huckabee has a lot less money to work with than the others. Local News is saying that McCain has actually carried Florida 36% to Romney's 32%. Huckabee only received about 13% I'm told, 2% less than Rudy. I've also heard that if Rudy drops out he will endorse McCain. Hillary has a rather large lead over Obama for the Democratic primary. Edwards was a low third, with only 14%. AT this time, all the votes are not counted but the polls are closed now. (I had to go to Bingo tonight so I haven't been too involved in the race. I could have stayed at the RV because I didn't win anything; I did had a lot of fun with my friends).

I talked with my little granddaughter last night for a few minutes since I wanted to wish her a happy birthday. She was so cute with her conversation. Half way through the conversation, she said, "How are you? I was supposed to ask you that first but I messed up. But now I have it right". I thought that was so cute! Aren't we all like that? We say, "Hello, how are you?" at the beginning of our conversations when I often wonder if we really want to know. There must be other ways to begin our conversations, but we learn the "rules" so early. No one ever told Livvy that she should do this, I'm sure. She is so observant that I'm sure that she has thought this is the proper way. We are such creatures of habit.

Sanibel and Captiva Islands

Don and I spent much of the day on Sanibel Island, then on to Captiva Island. Both are beautiful places to visit. There is only one RV park there but we were unable to make a reservation for next year until May, when their regulars have made theirs. We parked at one of the beach areas and walked on the beach where we were told it was the best place to find beautiful seashells. We did find a few but no real keepers. A local lady said it is best to be there very early in the morning, earlier than she wanted to get out. I found many conch shells but all of them had a broken part to them. Later, we parked at the beach area where the lighthouse is located. To me, that is the most beautiful part of the island. From there, you can see across to Ft. Myers Beach and South Ft. Myers. Before we left the island, we planned to eat at the Lighthouse Cafe, one that is highly recommended; however, it isn't open on Mondays and Tuesdays, they recommend you have reservations. We then decided to try the Lazy Flamingo Restaurant where we chose Copia for dinner. Now, that is one fish I had never eaten. It tastes a little like Grouper but much more dense (I much prefer Grouper but to get that you have to pay lobster prices). Last year, we ate at the Bubble Restaurant (the building has bubbles painted on the outside walls; their food is also very good). The Hungry Heron is also highly recommended, but we were too far down the island at dinner time to choose them. Perhaps I can get a few photos included ont he blog tonight. I'm now trying to listen to the President's State of the Union. It is difficult to type and watch the reaction of the audience and I do want to see how Clinton and Obama would respond.

Gumbo Fest Across the Street

The Shell Factory across the street has a much larger crowd today than it had yesterday with McCain present. Today is the Gumbo Fest. All day, beginning at 10:00AM, there has been a crowd coming and going. People are parking out on the main thoroughfare and taking the shuttle into the place! There have been several bands playing (I think they change bands about every hour or 2, some of which of fairly good, others not so hot). A variety of music types have been entertaining: bluegrass, rock, hard rock, country, Cajun, raga, etc. The problem is you never know when each banc will perform and there are several kinds I don't prefer. All we have to do is sit outside under our awning and we can hear it all; I don't care for gumbo of any kind so I wouldn't walk over there for that. Plus, the beer is really flowing too. We usually go over for awhile but since we can enjoy the best part from the park, we will remain here. It's now 6:00 PM and they are still going strong. I just saw 2 couples walking back from over there, one of whom is not feeling any pain (of course, she may feel some when she falls because she can hardly walk).

What's happening tomorrow in the area, I'm not sure. I figure there will be some things to get the crowds out. They are really trying to pump up the locals, to get them to the polls on Tuesday.

Don had to skip church this morning due to a terrible cold that he is trying to prevent others from catching. Now, if I can just protect myself, that will be good.

One More McCain

Here is the first shot I was able to get of Senator McCain. I guess I was too quick on the snap button; I should have waited a few seconds more to get him in the light (I was very successful getting photos of his wife though; just wish I had a couple more of the Senator). Once he stepped down, it became next to impossible to get a decent shot. The crowd was polite up to a point; however, once he stepped down, people started pushing and I ended up in a spot which was not really too feasible for picture taking. I needed my daughter, Keni, here to take the pictures. She is excellent (better than a Pro)! Being small, she may have been able to get in there and been much more successful.

This sign is on the first bus that came in to full everyone. (He wasn't on this one).

McCain was Here

McCain was here.












Well, that is his back.















This lady jumped in front of me just as I snapped the picture; however, I was able to get a great shot of Lady McCain, don't you agree?













This is the best photo I was able to get of Senator McCain. When he left, I was standing beside the cop you see there where the man with the white shirt is now standing. They really pulled a sneaky one, however; when he came out, they had the rope pulled right there for him to get on the bus but then they put him in a van and took off. I felt sorry for the veteran beside me who had lost his legs; I was sorry that the WWII vet with the purple heart was unable to get to him. That was a sneaky thing to do for folks like that who felt a real need to speak to the Senator. Personally, I'm fine. I just wanted a better photo for my scrapbook.

And here, wouldn't you know that he would put his hand up just at the wrong time! Oh well, I think I may turn into a Huckabee fan anyway; what do you think? (He wasn't here but Multi-millionaire Mitt was in another part of the city. I don't know where all the others were or are.

Republicans Have Arrived!

It has been a cool day in South Florida today, mostly because it has been quite breezy for several days. The day slipped away much too quickly, however, because we stayed busy most of the time. I did take the time to ride my bike a very short distance, but much of the day was spent with friends. My nephew's wife arrived yesterday and is staying with my brother. They have been on the go trying to show her all a variety of places of interests.

Several things are available for us to attend tomorrow. There is a "Trash 'n' Treasure" Sale being held in the adjacent park beginning at 8:00 AM with breakfast being offered. Later lunch will be available there. At 10:30, the Republican event at the Shell Factory (read next paragraph). The big Bealls store is trying to compete by having a 50% off sale. About 45 minutes away is a practice show of the those special Austrian white horses (I can't begin to spell their names. All I know is they are white stallions that were saved by General Patton during/after WWII when Russia was invading Yugoslavia, I think. I need to learn more about them).

Tomorrow, Senator McCain will be across the street from the RV Park. I wouldn't mind walking over just to say I have seen a Presidential Hopeful. The Republicans are everywhere around this area. Mitt Romney arrived this afternoon at the local Steak 'n Shake restaurant and Rudy is somewhere around here too I think. Florida is predominantly Republican so I have been told and they are really making a show in this area. I understand there won't be a Democratic caucus here due to a disagreement on time change. We will see what happens here when the polls actually open.

Beautiful RV's Everywhere!

Six of us went to the big RV show this morning and I must admit that I am bushed tonight! I am so sore but I guess that was caused by climbing in and out of many, many RV's, beautiful RV's of all sizes, many of which had steep steps to climb. We saw some very pretty rigs but we are disappointed that everyone is making larger and larger rigs. If we traded, we would want to downsize from our 38' unit. Almost everything there was 38' up to 45'! Now, that is just ridiculous for folks who are aging. Personally, I don't think we should be trying to drive things that large. In fact, I know some folks shouldn't; just as this man came into the park the other evening and almost took another man's awning with him. He did take the man's walkway and part of his fence. We had a 35' RV prior to this one and perhaps we should have kept that one since we cannot find another that we like of that length. Some of the RV parks advertise that they won't let units camp in them if their rig is older than 10 years; we are now reaching the 5th year with ours.

Now that I have enjoyed a very hot shower to try to alleviate some of these muscular pains, I need to mosey to bed. I now realize that I am aging and right now, it doesn't look very dignified!

RV Show Coming Up

I just returned with my friends from Bingo in the adjacent park. We always ride our bikes over for the 2 hours of fun. Tonight was a good one for me because I won $59. I had to share the $150 with several others so that cut my winnings. I won 2 games and a door prize. Last night I won a game and had to share the winnings on that too ($30). I really enjoy going whether I win or not. Some folks get upset when they lose but where else could I go for a few dollars?

Tomorrow, Don and I are going to the big RV show they are having at the fairgrounds here. This is always a lot of fun just to walk around and see what the new RV's look like. With tomorrow being Senior Day, we will be admitted for half price. I know it will be a busy place too. Perhaps I will be back in time to blog tomorrow night; but, just in case, I'm blogging tonight.

I'm Confused?

Nothing newsworthy here today. Some of us did make a trip to the grocery store and I listened to a lady complain about the price of milk and bread. People here are on set incomes which means they are beginning to really feel the effects of this recession. They are beginning to have trouble buying the necessities of life. If things don't slow down, we will all start having these difficulties. Milk here is over $4.00/gallon, and fuel is getting close to that price. The little $15.00 I won at Bingo last night won't hardly get me to the store. Anyway, I feel sorry for families and older people on fixed incomes who need these things. I guess we may have to give up things we once thought were necessities: ie, coffee, tea, bottled water, soft drinks, etc. And, just think of all the big bucks these politicians are throwing away! Most people are going to vote for their choices regardless of whether they come to your town and kiss your local babies. Some things I just don't understand. It's a confusing world with confusing practices.

Lazy Day So Far

I woke up about 6:00 AM and all was quiet in the RV and outside. Don usually has poured a cup of Java and tried to walk the short block by the time I get to moving very much; however, this morning, when I came out of the bedroom, he was lying on the couch sound asleep. As I entered, I awoke him and he informed me that his throat was sore and that he had taken a dose of that nasty medicine that I cannot tolerate: Nyquil!! He says it really works for him, but it makes him sleep all day long; therefore, this has turned into a lazy day so far. Rose and I will go down soon though and sign up for our Bingo seats tonight. (We have to do that to be assured of room to play since the building has a limited capacity of 90). Actually, I enjoy playing in the adjacent park more than this one. There are more people who play and they are much more organized in their playing. We don't really win but that's fine since that's not why I go. It's just an inexpensive night of enjoyment (about $7.00).

I'm also washing clothes in our washer/dryer and I prefer to stay close during the wash cycle, not knowing what could happen (ie, water overflow, etc). Our neighbor didn't watch his and had a pretty big mess! It's not likely that there would be problems but what's wrong with just hanging around about 20 minutes to make sure?

Just looked out the window and I see this elderly lady eyeing her bike. She is going to try to work on it! She doesn't look like the mechanic type; hmm, I think I'm right. She's already given up! Now, I see 4 ladies in a convertible cooling it! I wonder if they are after a man, a very elderly man! Our neighbor is standing on top of his rig with a mop; I hope he has on sturdy shoes with gripping soles (He just learned that he has prostate cancer and is scheduled to have surgery next week Please pray for him). There's another convertible carrying a lady wearing a bright yellow scarf and a man wearing a cowboy hat! Another neighbor is having trouble reaching his toes to clip his nails! I will have to take a photograph of where we sit so that you can know that we can see in 3 directions, the best view in this part of the park by far...very entertaining! Our neighbor, Sandy, is returning from the local airport where she picked up her daughter and boyfriend (they will be staying with her in her park model for 10 days). One of our neighbors is a retired OB-GYN and is recently widowed; however, he refuses to sit around and do nothing, so he camps alone. He's very busy all the time as he tries to learn all the things that he probably missed out on when he was a practicing physician. He often has the men laughing at his lack of mechanical knowledge, but he laughs with them and continues to learn. Right now, he's busy messing with his awning, adding more gramets (sp) to protect it from the winds. Another neighbor, whom I cannot see right now, has lost his arm but he does everything with just one, including riding a two-wheeled bicycle! He is amazing at everything he can do! There is so much we can learn by just watching others; good, bad, funny, inspirational! (I seek the good and inspirational)

News is Slow

News is slow here. Four of us took our Indiana friend out for her birthday lunch today. I think she really enjoyed this outing because she doesn't go out so much anymore since she lost her husband. It has been so windy that we haven't been able to ride our bikes since Friday and I really need to be getting that exercise. It doesn't take long to get lazy when you're mainly sitting around. Don says the last 3 days have been the longest ones he has experienced lately. Now, I don't agree with that, even when we are doing nothing. Tonight Don and I went to DQ for salads, then to the new Target nearby. We also found a station that sold its fuel for $3.01/gallon. That's the best we have found anywhere around here. I understand the cost of oil by the barrel has dropped considerably so perhaps the price will decrease...right! I think there are fewer RVers here so far. The park hasn't been full yet and usually it is. The overflow area is usually somewhat full too. If things look the same in a couple of weeks, we will know people are slowing down in their traveling.

Go, Packers!

I wonder if everyone has been watching the NFC and AFC football playoffs today. I think everyone in the RV park has been; at least, no one has been outside walking or biking. Perhaps the cool weather and the windy conditions also played a part in keeping everyone indoors. We did walk to church and it was a little drizzly but very chilly. One of our neighbors doesn't go to church but he did run a taxi back and forth for several who have trouble walking. He came to get us afterwards but we had scurried along and was back to the RV by the time he got there. I did think it was very kind of him to make those trips. Later we all went out to lunch together at the local cafeteria, a wonderful place for a nice Sunday lunch.

We are now in the middle of football game # 2. My preferred team won in the first game and now Green Bay is leading by a slim margin. They are my team and I would like for them to win tonight and on Feb. 2. I like them best I guess because they are owned by the community. Of course, I like the Panthers but they haven't done well this year. I do like football and will miss it when the season is finished. I also enjoy college basketball and football and have my favorite teams to watch at every opportunity. For example, University of NC, OU, Penn St., and ECU are my favorites naturally since I attended all of them.

Now, back to the game. Let's go, Packers!

Watch your Step

What a windy day this has been in Florida! I can't really complain since the temperature was very nice, around 75 I think. Right now, we are having some showers which really sound great as they dance around on our roof. So long as the rain holds off enough for us to walk to church and back without getting drenched, I won't complain about a dismal day. I have to admit that I would rather see snow falling and I understand many states farther north of experiencing the white stuff, many of whom are complaining while others are excited about the snow-covered terrain. For this, I would like to be home but I cannot have it all, can I?

There has been some disagreement in the park over some dog owners who are allowing their dogs to leave their calling cards on others' park sites. This is against the rules; however, some people just don't have respect for their neighbors. There is a dog-walking area available but some people just let their dogs do their own thing. This makes other occupants upset, especially when they go out in the mornings and step in the remains they leave behind. Don is one of those who had a bad experience; our neighbor across the street also had this bad experience. Such lack of respect for others makes it look bad for all dog owners, even those who follow the rules. Once again, the manager stressed the requirement to keep dogs off others' sites, to walk them on the pavement to the designated yard. I hope it makes a difference when we get up to walk to church in the morning. Why can't people respect others, I just don't know. I trust that tomorrow will be better. We really have to watch our step in the park.

Nothing White Here but Tennis Shoes

This day has seemed longer than most, probably because I have been up since 4:00 AM. Why, I don't know other than I just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Perhaps I was thinking about home where there is an expectation of several inches of snow. Everyone knows that I do love to see the snow falling, to be snowed in, and to see the eagerness on the children's faces as they sled or ask for snow cream. (Unfortunately, there's nothing white here but tennis shoes on all these white-haired snowbirds). I hope they do get some snow to enjoy even though I won't be there to participate in their joy. Just being out of school always caused them much happiness and I didn't mind that they were home. I always enjoyed having my children home, not like some parents that complain, wanting the summer to be over or the other holidays.

Rosie and I went to the big flea market here today and that trek made me tired; thus, I hope that I will rest better tonight. I just heard on the news that flu has reached Florida and I have a couple of friends who are sick. I do hope that it's not flu and that we don't experience any cases around here.

My bad leg is aching from too much walking and bike riding so I'm going now to the showers in hopes that the hot bath with relieve this discomfort. If you live where there is snow, throw a snowball for me and eat a big bowl of snow cream for me too!

My Way to Relieve Stress

Today, Don and I needed to fix a light over the sink in the RV, so off we go to Camping World. When we returned, I started reading my book again. Don asked me to hold the light in place for him, then waited for me to get to a good stopping point in my reading; however, I kept reading and reading. This went on for a couple of times before he yelled at me. I told him that I would be glad to hold the light but he didn't have to yell at me. Actually, he said he did have to yell because he had asked nicely twice and he was getting tired of holding the light in place waiting for me. Now he is agreeing with Keni, that my hearing is going. That's true; my hearing is not so good, but in this case, I didn't hear for another reason: I was living in the book that I was reading at the time. I strongly urge everyone to read, read, read. There's nothing more satisfying to me. I can forget all my troubles, my stress-makers, etc whenever I'm involved in a good book. Today was a little rainy and such a day is especially conducive to a good book. As a mom, my children saw me reading quite a lot; now, Kendra is an avid reader, even more than I! ( I remember when she was small and she would go to bed with a flashlight so she could read under the covers). Now my other son does a lot of reading and so does my other daughter (I'm not sure how much my older son reads since he doesn't live close to us but my guess is that he does read some). If you have nothing to do tonight, pick up a good book; you have such a wide variety of good choices.

Biking Made Easier

What a beautiful day we are having today, even though it is very windy. The temp is around 70 degrees, great for a light sweatshirt. My friend, Sandy, and I went to the local flea market this morning and enjoyed browsing prior to purchasing our delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables. I bought some great looking corn which we will cook on the grill tomorrow. Don wanted me to buy him a new, softer bicycle seat, one similar to mine. I found just the thing but the man said it was really made for ladies. Guess who has the new, softer seat and who got the not-as-new, but equally soft seat? I know you are right. Believe me, though, a good seat makes biking easier and definitely more fun.

Several of us ladies played bingo last night here in the park, but only one won anything. We will try again at the park adjoining us tonight. The guys enjoy our leaving for a couple of hours so they can do as they please, which usually is to stand on the corner and talk to everyone who comes by. Sometimes they come by the fellowship hall and peer in to see if we are having any luck. I really don't play to win, only to have fun with the friends. There are 6 of us who go together and another 5 that we meet there. It's time for me to go with Rose to put our names down on the table which we like to reserve.

So far, the internet has been working fine; hopefully, I will have no more trouble. Will be back on soon.

Trouble Hanging Around

It seems that trouble with the internet likes hanging around here. I have to reboot the computer several times a day just to get the internet to come up, then it hangs up too often. Don says it could be because of the phone hookup post outside which has been hit many times by the different RV's that have trouble parking on this site. Actually, I don't understand since I pulled right in with no difficulties at all! I have watched some drivers on other sites and held my breath as they tried missing the hookups, the sewage hookup, the paved pads, or the vehicle beside them! Sunday night, a very long, very beautiful coach came in, cut the curve much too close and side-swipped the unit sitting on that corner. He really did a number on the front! It's already been repaired though so I know he made it good.

I don't know our schedule today but I want to go to Camping World sometime, more to look around than anything. I hope your day is a good one.

Hopefully, the internet is okay now, but I won't hold my breath on that. We will see what today holds and if the old "Internet Imp" is determined to plague my playing.

Finally on the Air!

Here I am, back on the lines as of a few minutes ago; however, the ordeal to get on line has been little short of exasperating!! The park has done away with their WiFi connection for so unknown reason and I had to locate a different method, much to my chagrin. Anyway, I have finally won the battle but it is much more expensive this way than usual. I will work on something different for next year, that's for sure! This year, I had to pay for a land line, put my home phone on vacation, and transfer everything here. If you read this and you know a simpler, less expensive way, please respond to this blog.

The weather in South Florida has been wonderful; however, today has been a little cooler but comfortable. This week is supposed to be in the upper 60's but I can handle that with no problem (I have sweat suits with me).

We have had a great time seeing our old friends who also come South for the winter, friends from PA, Ohio, Indiana, New York, Illinois, and, of course, from NC. I think there are more here from PA than any other state (nice folks!). Don and his friends are out riding bikes right now; there are 5 of them who are constantly looking for one another so they can go riding. Fortunately, there are 10 + miles that are easily accessible for bike riding. I think they have ridden almost all of them. They like to ride around and look for bargains at the various yard sales they find. Because of the ages of many, there are always residents who are moving out and providing bargains for the hunters. The ladies spend more of their/our time in the discount stores checking out the many sales.

I'm ready to go out to eat with the crowd soon so have to close down for now.

Heading South Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day that we head South for a few weeks. I will be off the air until Wednesday at least. That is when we will arrive but I need time to get set up with WiFi. I will be back up by Thursday I would think. I'm anxious to go and to see all of our friends from different parts of the U.S.; however, I will really miss my family and friends back home. I always drag my feet when we are leaving (Don accuses me of this and I think he's right); yet, when we get on the road then I become a happy traveler. There are so many beautiful places in this world to see that we should move around the states more than we do perhaps.

The grandchildren were so sweet today when they hugged me goodbye. Livvy said, "I'm really going to miss you." (Don says she really knows how to push my buttons. He says they both know how to do that). Our son came down for a few hours and had lunch with us. I still miss him since he left home. And, it's always sad to see Keni go out the door even though she lives next door.

I'm going to shut down the computer, pack it away, and prepare to take it with me to the RV around 8:30 tomorrow morning (we can't leave earlier because we have to wait for the post office to open).

First Quarterly Get-Together

Today, we had our first quarterly get-together with our high school classmates. I was so pleased to see 15 people in attendance. Everyone said they had a great time and would pass the word on to those who didn't make it how much fun it was to sit around, eat, and enjoy talking one-on-one with each other. We began a few minutes after 11:00 AM, went through the cafeteria line, and had our own private space to enjoy one another. At 1:30, we gathered around and had a group photo taken. I had a big laugh at Dot, one of our members. Some of us sat in chairs on the front row for the photo and she said we should all stand; she says that the one standing had their fat stretched out while the ones who were seated had it all wadded up! I had never heard such a hilarious description! No one seemed to be in a hurry to depart and they all indicated their plans to attend the next one on April 4. I hope to see some of the others present at our next one. I know it is a long way for some to travel and I can't blame them for not wanting to get out in the cold weather. I do hope that they will try to make some of the trips though if possible.

Preferring the Real Thing

Today has been a fun-filled day keeping the 2 little ones. They are so cute and so good! Mom has done a great job with him. In fact, one of my friends was talking about them today and she said that very thing, that it was very obvious that Mom loved them yet kept them in line too. And, that is important; one must love them but also must be an "in-charge" parent, not abusive but in charge. These 2 know that she has the final say and she doesn't need to yell at them or tell them over and over. Now that they are 4, they know what she expects: good behavior. That is what she gets too. They mind so well by just telling them in a normal voice, they know to respond.
They were so good today. Clay wanted brunch so that's what we had. He loved the eggs and bacon and so did his sister. We watched it snow for awhile but we didn't get enough to stay on the ground, unfortunately. They wanted to go out and ride their "truck" but about 30 minutes was all they could stand because it has been a very cold day!

Tomorrow, they go back to school with their mom who had a workday today. I think they are anxious to see all of their friends again but I will miss them so much. What will I do for 2 months! At least my older daughter gave me a digital photo album and I have been taking photos to carry with me. That's not as good as the real thing but better than nothing.

The Cutest Picture

I saw the cutest thing happen yesterday. Kendra called and said she needed 2 cups of milk for something she was making and that she would send the kids over on their new little "F-150 truck". As I watched them coming, I thought that was the cutest sight I had ever seen. Clay was driving and Livvy was riding, holding the container to get the milk. When they arrived, Livvy jumped out and came in while Clay sat in the truck waiting for her. I followed her out the door and said hello to Clay. He waved and said, "See you later," just like a grown person. Livvy got in and off they went. Clay is getting to be a very good driver too, no swaying back and forth as he did in the beginning.

Last night we had 10 of our friends over to help bring in the new year. We think we have been doing this since 1986; however, part of the crowd has changed and there are not as many as there used to be who still come. Some now have to keep grandchildren while parents go out to celebrate. We just enjoy getting together, talking, eating, then at midnight, having a nice breakfast. I believe we enjoyed each other's company until around 2:00AM this year.

Today has been a "do nothing" kind of day. Tomorrow, though, Kendra goes back to work (that is if the snow doesn't hit us harder than they are predicting). The children don't go back until Thursday, so Don and I will be enjoying them for a few hours. I wonder what we will learn from them. They are always "teaching us something new".