Headin' home...argh

Our first winter in FL is rapidly drawing to a close.  I cannot say we are happy about returning to Maine.  However, we are excited to see our families and our grandchildren.  That's the one thing missing...no family and no friends (yet).


We have had a great winter and although it was a colder than normal winter for this area, we were outside nearly every day.  We walked, went to the beach, spent a lot of time at the animal shelter and just enjoyed...being alive and well.

We plan to leave Wednesday morning after a calorie filled breakfast at Waffle House.  We will spend Wed night in Savannah, GA.  Thurs night will be spent with Bill's sister-in-law in Culpeper, VA.  Fri night will find us in Providence, RI.  Mr. Bill has agreed to spend the day on Sat at the Machine Quilters Expo...a quilt show and fabric paradise.  We should arrive home sometime late Sat night but hopefully not too late.  

Then we will start counting down the days till we return.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

 

Ornery Attitude

One of the first places we found after we arrived here was The Ornery Attitude coffee cafe.  It's a nice little place located in Fishermen's Village.  Along with various forms of coffee drinks, they also sell whole bean and ground coffee.  As a way of remembering the great times we enjoyed sitting by the river sipping our OA coffee, we bought some to take home with us.

We decided on Mudslide, Chocolate Raspberry and Coconut.   Yum, can't wait to brew some up and sit on the deck.

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;o)

The lone survivor

First there were 10, then there were 5, then there was only 1.  It was sad and lonesome.  We told it not too worry.  Then there were none.

Yes, it's a peep, a yellow peep.  Yes, we ate them all, the pink ones, the blue ones and finally...the yellow one.

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;o)

Happy plants

I mentioned in an earlier post that I thought my African violets were going to be very  happy here.  I rest my case.

This one has been blooming since shortly after we arrived.

photo taken 1/10/10

I don't think they will be any happier going back to Maine than we are but they clearly enjoyed their winter.

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;o)

Rockin'

We are too old for rocking horses...

Although I think I would look good on this one.

Very pretty horsie

These were lined up in front of a cottage on Matlacha.


We are too young for rocking chairs...

Antique rocking chair in Arcadia

We are even too small for rocking chairs...

This big chair is also located in Matlacha.  It made me feel like Edith Ann.

We are just right for the new Skecher rockin' shoes (aka Shape Ups).  

 They look kind of funny but here is part of their claim...

" a great way to exercise while you go about your busy day! Walking in Shape-ups can help burn more calories, tone muscles and more".

Yeah, right!  I'm not really one to believe all that stuff but Mr. Bill was reeled in and could not help himself.  He bought a pair for each of us.  (I think it was the promise of tighter buttocks that set the hook.)  

We had to learn to walk all over again and quite frequently stumbled but never fell!  We did notice sore legs and backs after the first couple of walks but had to admit, it was quite a workout.  Personally, I don't think my buttocks look any better but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?  And, no, Mr. Bill's are not silver and white, his are black.

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;o) 

One more week

We are heading home next Wednesday and neither of us is excited about it.  So, I'm trying to think of reasons to be happy about returning to Maine...

 *I get to see my beautiful baby girl and give her a big hug and kiss
*I get to see my number one son and his family
*I get to see Ella and Trevor who will have grown a whole lot since Christmas
*I can have coffee with my bestest friend, Su
*I can go to Margaritas and have Scott make me the best Raspberry margarita anywhere
*I can see Dr. Jay and get my back in good working order again
*I can work in the garden and get my hands dirty
*I will have my car
*I can soak in the hot tub
*I can get my hair done and not worry about how it's going to look
*I can get the best iced coffee at AJ's
**I will triple my wardrobe
**Sassy can come home
**the grill


I have also thought about all the things I will miss when we leave...

*the beautiful walk along the river
*80* temps
*pelicans skimming over the water
*burying my feet in the sand at Ponce de Leon park and  watching the boats entering the river
*the sun shining every day (almost)
*people at the animal shelter
*the farmer's market and all the fresh fruits and veggies
*the pool (2 actually)
*sitting on the swing by the river
**wearing shorts and flip flops
**daylight until 8 PM
**wadding birds strutting their stuff next to the road

Mostly I will miss not having to work, staying up late, sleeping late , having no commitments, no agenda, doing what I want, when I want.

We came here this winter thinking that Florida was not the place for us.  It's flat, we wouldn't have any place to hike, there wouldn't be anything for us to do.  We have been pleasantly surprised!  The weather was colder than normal, which some days aggravated me, but it was still better than Maine.  Actually, the cold weather convinced us that we didn't want to live any where that had any kind of w.i.n.t.e.r.  period!  That leaves out Tennessee or the Carolinas or any place north of Tampa.

We are looking forward to returning next winter and depending on how cold and dreary it is when we get home, we may just stay longer.


Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

(**added after original post)

Shelter pets make the best pets

We are not the only ones that feel that way...Misty Rose went home today.

 Wherever she is tonight, I think she's smiling.


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;o)

Look at me, I'm stylin!

I showed you the new doggie bandana I made, hanging on the back of the couch.  Although it looked pretty darn good (if I do say so for myself), it looks even better on a doggie's neck.  Here is Misty Rose wearing her new bandana/kerchief.

This one measures 34" from end to end and I think it was actually a little large for her.  I would say it will fit a medium to large dog.  Wendy says I should call them "Kanine Kerchiefs" which I like but I need to do some checking to see if anyone else is using that name/description.  Thanks Wendy!

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

We can come home happy

Remember yesterday I told you that some people won't go to the shelter because it bothers them?  Well, last weekend, while we were at the Taste of Punta Gorda, my favorite dog, Tigre went to PetSmart for an off-site day.  Someone fell in love with him and followed him back to the shelter in order to take him home then and there.  YEAH!  That makes me very happy. 

On top of that, someone came to the shelter and fell in love with Bill's favorite, Sirus, a big, white bulldog.  Bill felt the same way about him, someone just needed to take him out and spend some time with him.  The shelter manager ran into Sirus' new owner in Walgreens and the guy is super happy, says Sirus is the best dog he ever owned.  

That's really no surprise to us;we knew they were great dogs all along and we are very happy that they have new homes!


Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Kiki's Doggie D-lites

I am continually thinking of ways to make a little money doing what I love...sewing and quilting and now...dogs.  I am working on some ideas to sell in my Etsy shop and made my first item tonight.  Yes, I actually drafted a pattern, cut it out and got it sewed together...all in one night.  Woo Hoo  If that's not a first, I don't know what is.


So, "What is it?", you ask.  It's a doggie bandana!  I'm not the first to make them but they are easy and they are inexpensive and fun.  This one measures 34" long and 10" wide at the widest part.  It fits nicely around Bill's 18" neck, which was the only way I knew to measure one. 

I looked at some bandanas this afternoon to see how they were made and quite frankly, mine are much nicer.  Those were one layer of fabric with the edge turned under and stitched.  It closed with velcro.  Mine is two sided and finished with a top stitch.  It ties rather than velcro; that way it can be made a little looser or tighter. Essentially, you get two different bandanas for the price of one.  I haven't decided on the price yet, still have to do some research.  I also have to make some different sizes.


I told Wendy that I was going to make one for each of the doggies at home but I'm taking this one with us tomorrow.  That will give me an opportunity to see which size dog it actually fits.  We are taking Misty Rose, a great new dog at the shelter, to Home Depot for some public exposure outside of the shelter atmosphere.  There are many people that just can't bring themselves to the shelter, they get too sad and depressed.  This way, the dog is out there and you never know when the right person will walk by and fall in love with their new best friend.

If you can think of a catchy name for these little items, let me know.  I'm open to suggestions (but they have to be nice).

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)