More

What more can I do?
Sadly, my readership is going down, but does go up too just as often! Gotcha!
I need to have some consistency in this exposé format I suppose.
One day I am hot the next day I am warm and the next I apparently go cold and then we start all over again….
You try to write a Blog daily that you hope and pray that others would enjoy reading and see what you come up with, huh?

All I can say is once again we hit another gorgeous day out of the park here in paradise, our southwest Florida and so that is ‘our MORE of the same’!

Hubby again was asking where and what I needed to be worked on for his beatification program, and I mentioned our brass house numbers could use a perking up, and he took them down from above the newly re-stuccoed garage door surround. And I tried cleaning the numbers with brass cleaner but they were so pitted it didn’t seem to do the trick, and so I suggested my gold acrylic paint, which has proven on other occasions to hold up quite well when used outside. And the bottle was too low and hard so the only way I was going to get anything out of it would be to thinning it with water which would not cover the brass very well. The next decision was made by me again, and it was for them to be painted white with the rustproof white spray-paint Hubby bought for one of our exterior lights and he used that so he said, but I haven’t seen the finished product yet. I am sure it will look fine since our trim on the tan is white too.

More, more, more this man is insatiable with the need to accomplish refurbishing!
Gosh who would have thunk that, that sentence would make any sense at all! HA!

Moving on…
John A. Boehner, our new Speaker of the House did his welcome speech without much emotion and a bit of poise; he saved that overwhelming reaction for when he returned to the house floor!
I suppose we are in for a very interesting next few years, huh?
Is he old enough for male menopause Peeps?
Talk about ups and downs folks!

The reason I say that is we all get weepy on occasion, but even when I was at my worst with PMS and Peri- menopausal I can’t remember being that bad so often in public and yes I was working then, even going through the real thing, menopause and I was bad. Didn’t know when I would scream or cry, which would come or when it would hit.
Or is he perhaps taking some over the counter meds or some herbs that he is having an allergic reaction to?
I have heard of men not doing anything about health issues, why I live with one of those, but this is ridiculous he has so much on his plate with this new job, maybe he isn’t stable enough to pursue it?
Oh I don’t know, I could be way off base with this diagnosing trial of mine, but I bet I am not the only one thinking these things!
Are you?
Any-who, with all my weirdness in tact let’s all be happy that I am not the NEW Speaker of the House, ha!
On that note of probable total agreement I will wish you all a very happy good night and to count those blessings and share those overages and we will too!

And next time be here or be square, OK?

PS and to our local head weather guy please forgive my insolence in telling you what you should do, but to me it seems silly not to use social media to talk to your fan base, which I am sure would be thrilled to hear from you! Makes you more accessible and people are more willing to listen then.

Natural!

Five days have come and gone and we do still not need anything but nature to keep our home comfortable. Simply put: during the day the windows are opened and in the evening the windows are closed! You guessed it, I bet, we have not had our heat or air on since last Thursday! Ahhh you can’t beat the weather in southwest Florida in ‘the winter’!
Ha, we are so fortunate, and how pleasant is this?
You all do know that we are just a short trip from wherever you are to here in paradise, right?
So come on down folks, we are here for you all!
We aren’t too proud but I do love to brag and who doesn’t need a boost to their economy and so just Nike it!

Moving on…
We now have our new governor installed under the law of the land of sunshine; it was made official today.
Hopefully, he will do some of what he has promised not being a politician and all; he’s a businessman from another state who interloped his way into our recent election. He will have to prove himself worthy of most of ours’ support by actions not by words.
Most of my Face book buddies don’t place too much stock in his abilities to provide those seven hundred thousand jobs he said will come within his four year term, which is ticking away as of today.
Many in the state are jaded by these so-called mimics of our desires back at us without keeping any of their laundry lists stated during their campaigning; we have been fooled before; but hasn’t everyone?
Any-who, we shall see what we shall see; doing it makes it so, not just thinking it, am I correct or what folks?

You see, Florida is amongst the hardest hit states for jobs, home foreclosures you name it we got it… but many of those things are appearing to be making a comeback and our people are hopeful and that’s why this new guy in our state capitol of Tallahassee is such an important guy to watch. Governor Rick Scott is our man of the hour, day, year and our futures too…All I can say is I hope he comes through for all the people depending on him. We need a state health plan for all peoples, besides the almighty jobs, better education for the children which will help prevent higher crime rates and banks to keep their promises of helping people with difficulty paying their mortgages to straighten all of that out! We need a lot and I hope he doesn’t run us as a for profit personal business. You all know what I mean his motto is, “Let’s get to work”. Not a bad idea but just what does he mean and how is he going to go about it, huh?
If he means he is looking for everyone to work for him for free and not get any pay for that that scares me.
He also re-initiated the Governor’s Ball set to go off tonight; he feels that it is a morale builder of fun, huh? The last two governors’ administrations felt the state was in too much financial debt to pay for it and that was before these last two, nearly three years when the worst did happen. In my mind not a great beginning in saving the state’s finances, unless the bill is going to the billionaire or is he just a millionaire governor, can’t seem to keep that straight!

We all here in the state that we love to call our home are hoping and praying that this new guy gets it right since he won’t be able to get too many do-overs if we don’t see any improvements and so as most of us will say the proof is in the pudding which basically means if he does what he did promise then he will have us Floridians hearts souls and feelings of him being an honest man of his word.

On that note of hopeful concern I would like to wish you all a very happy good night and too all count those blessings and share those overages please and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, OK?

Projects

And not the type people live in; the Honey-do kind.
Hubby has taken it upon himself to ask me daily what he can do to fix this or that; wow any woman’s dream-man!
If you like that sort of thing, some I suppose prefer diamonds, fancy cars, chocolates and caviar, but not me! Oh, all right perhaps I could go berserk over chocolate, Godiva dark specifically; after all I am a self confessed chocoholic!
I also prefer a guy who really wants to beautify the old homestead, and that to me is S-E-X-Y!
LOL!
I know most of you gals are saying right now; “what is she crazy.”
And I do know you mean that in only the nicest way, right? Hey, what’s with that, no question mark!
You’re being rhetorical and I won’t take that lying down or standing up, but sitting I will, which I am doing right now, HA!
Must I write those annoying three letters that shows that I think that I AM VERY FUNNY and should be laughed at?
Nah, I won’t do it since most men including my own Hubby seems to get exasperated by that acronymic overused expression of joy seeking terminology.

Any-who, the ‘project’ my darling Hubby took on was a repair of the stucco surround of our garage door, due to the trim installed there being vinyl has been chewed up by the edger, his own doing over the many years a thing that was unavoidable. And so I suggested re-stuccoing the Moorish angular-shaped opening encompassing the door and so that is what he is doing!
He had to go to the home store first and get the webbing, new weather trim, and stucco and paint to match the rest of our home, which I call the color a pale tan but lovely in the sense that it is accented by white in different ways around doors and windows, neutral simplicity at its best. And our inside of our home is quite colorful and nice surprise for our guests who enter it I suspect!
Actually, most of our furniture is white and floors too; it’s our accessories that are colorful!
Nate Berkus would be proud!
Oh who’s Nate?
He is a decorator with his own show here on our ABC affiliate at ten A.M. every week day morning.
I enjoy it because not only does he show great ideas for small spaces, which we have but also cost cutting methods for small budgets as well!
And I did have a few semesters of interior design too while a student at LIM.
That could be why I so enjoy it now, one of my many interests that is so tame from my old sporty me.
Although when I was given an aptitude test years ago it said I should be an architect, oh well… too late for that!
Oddly enough since I took a few of those online ones and they said I should be a writer, now we are talking!
On paper or on whatever this screen is made of, do you know?
I do know it is not biodegradable.
Strangely enough we all believe how reading books, newspapers and that are biodegradable clogging up the recycling bins are being wasteful and these not breaking down technological machines are?
I know using these techno products saves trees, but now they are using Bamboo a quickly renewable wood that I think also can be turned into paper things too?
And yes I do know we recycle plastic into roadways and walkways, decking, benches and the like…
So what does that make it a tie?
A matter of personal choice but authors are losing money by some technologies their books' values have suffered going down to a fraction of what they used to sell at retail, good for the consumer but not for the artist!
Journalists, of the print kind too are losing jobs with online papers being readily available, newspapers having been failing for years sadly.
But if recycled paper can be used and reused; why not subscribe?
Join that book club at that brick and mortar store if they all go under more people’s jobs do too!
And so we all must take some responsibility for these current job losses, and I am sure you too can come up with more ideas why this has happened.
To tell you all the truth as much as I have a pipe dream of working at my age and lack of abilities I would much rather prefer a youngster to get a job that I could potentially be responsible from stealing from them; get my drift? And I am NOT an advocate of ageism by any means. But unless you can’t pay your own way it’s really OK to relax and let others have those all too few jobs.
Anyone being a small business person it is your job to cultivate the abilities of the people in your own area and choose wisely.

I think this is a fine beginning to the New Year.
Since I am doing what I was trained to do, manage, ha!

On that feeling of being needed, you see just being asked about something means that to me, and so let me be the first to wish you all a very happy good night and to all count those blessings and promise to share those overages and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, OK?

Year

Gotcha, huh?
Have you been keeping up with my Jeopardy-like titles these last few nights?
The answer boards on the TV show?
You know the one with Alex Trebek as the MC? It is an international show so I am sure by now you are all saying yes!
Any-who, across the tops of the answer boards are the topics of each column, and that is what these last few nights have been my topics, ‘Happy’, ‘New’, and last but not least ‘Year’, got that?
And so tonight we are going to discuss, what dear readers?
Calm down!
I can hear you!
And please stop shouting!
Of course we are going to be discussing our love of animals, nah, just kidding… drum roll please… the YEAR!

Settle down all you fine folks, yes we have much to discuss.
In what way; you are all asking?
Well, logically our plans for the YEAR of course!
Now if I had my druthers I would be working at something I loved and was profitable at the same time, huh, what could that possibly be, you ask?
This writing gig, boy wouldn’t that be great to find a way to make this be my money maker, huh?
Too much to ask for, “keep on dreaming” I hear some of you saying but many are way too polite to even say that.
All right more realistic ideas for the year then will have to be chosen, hmmm…
Continue of course with my exercise plan and increase its volume of repetitions!
For mind growth we all need something, reading is good for that and I would hope that my eyesight improves so I too can get back to my love of the novel route that we should all take or a biography or even non-fiction is worthy of your consumption of words.
Reading more is always a good thing.
Since I have no vices left I have nothing to give up. That’s why I am stumped.

Gave up cigarettes on July 11.06, and I have not been drinking in excess only on occasion.
Far as drugs go I am only on prescribed ones by my doctors and Hubby will tell you half the time I forget to take them, but always do since besides my MS ones I have cholesterol and heart and blood pressure ones, not to mention my anti-spasmodic ones… boy I AM A PILL HEAD! And I shoot up that Copaxone daily!

All right now I know what I must do besides trying to find gainful employment that I will actually like.
I must clean up my act and get myself off these so-called MEDS!
YEP!
Oh that’s right… they are keeping me alive until I get my body back in shape, hmmm yes that’s right and so once I get this chubby body of mine back into that adorable one of mine I will be off most of these nasty poppers?
Okay, now we are getting somewhere… then I will be nearly drug free!
Hooray! Yippee!

And so on that silly note of letting you all know that a daily dose of silliness is one of the most important parts of any day… please dear Peeps take several laughs and call me in the morning, nah, just be back here tomorrow night, ok?

And with that over the top ridiculous try to state my reasoning for discussing this year and what we all should do… I will tell you to all have a very happy good night and to all count those blessings and share those overages and we will too!

And please next time be here or be square, OK?

New

Good evening and it is a ‘new’ one; isn’t it?
But this one is much more different than all the other ones of its kind.
Why, I hear you asking?
Because today is the first day of the New Year, of course, and this one has the date that will never ever be seen again of ‘1-1-11’, how about that? Though you all knew that, for that I am sure.
Unique and brand new what more could one ask for to begin the New Year.
And yes that was a rhetorical question.
Too many possibilities to that answer, and who has that much time?
Why I still do…some things never change, LOL!

Yes, I have a strange feeling that not much will change this year for me and Hubby but we are always hopeful.
Grandparenthood would be wonderful, since it is long overdue!
Did you know that the average grandparent is about forty-five when they become first time grandparents?
I know, pretty young, huh?
Well, maybe I am wrong I have been before, but it used to be that age when my parents were around…
Actually, since my half brother had his daughter when he was twenty-four years old and my Mom had him when she was only twenty; she was just forty-four not forty-five when she became a grandma, but today I am sure it has changed.
Being in my sixties I am more than ready, unfortunately our sons aren’t.

Our eldest has two ex.’s one a past fiancée and the other a long time girlfriend and his fiancée has since married and had a baby who is a few years old already and the most recent ex-girlfriend for a couple of years has recently married and now is expecting too!
Shoot they could have been my grand babies I feel gypped!
And our younger son’s ex-wife is already involved with someone else and who knows what her parents will get, but very likely a grandchild too!

We did our part by getting married and having children while still in our twenties.
You see I am the product of a second marriage and my parents were actually thirty-nine and forty-three when I was born and sadly they passed away when I was in my thirties, my sons’ ages now! Actually I was younger when they died just thirty-one and thirty–five, and our sons are thirty-four and thirty-eight.
Don’t they know our days are numbered? LOL!
I sure hope not, but at this point I am almost willing to use any tactics to get those grandbabies!
Kidding, but not by too much… if you know what I mean.

Any-who, my green eyed monster was almost out-ed; since it seems everyone is having them, grands I mean… oh well! I got even, you see everyone is posting their brand new bundles of joy on our Face book, which to be truthful I would be doing it too in spades if I had any and so I posted our little darling's PIC, our noble adorable canine SKIPPER! LOL!

Moving on…
Today was my eleventh day of my exercise program; imagine that on 1-1-11? And I am proud to say that, and even though it was a bit late since I actually stayed up past midnight, miraculous, I know!
It was difficult getting going today due to a very pleasant ‘at home’ evening!

To be honest with all of you I would love for lotsa new things to happen this year and once I figure out the ones I do have in my control besides my exercise program I will let you all know, OK?

On that new beginning for us all I would love to wish you all a ‘newness’ to your happy good night to all and to all please count those blessings and ask you kindly to share those overages and we will too!

And I am so glad that you came back from your wild crazy last night to be here safely with me, oh yours was not? Ours was calm too and very satisfying. Anyway, next time please be here or be square, OK?

Happy

Tonight is the ‘Happy’ part of the New Year and tomorrow… well… we will see won’t we?
We started our festivities at our dinner time with our deviation from our usual by deciding on having more simple treats in small amounts.
So far our menu has consisted of homemade clam chowder, a cup’s worth, with tortellinis in a buttery cheese sauce made light with my unique methods of less is more concept but still good; also just in half portions. Next came the best of it all…shrimp rolls and clams on the half shell, hummm…. What can I say I am sort of a foody! And yes, that is what got me into this body that I am in…but I am proud to say today was day number ten of the re-beautification of Tobi and so far so good, LOL!
And I am going gung-ho on the possibilities!

Moving on…
Now the neighborhood is alive with fireworks!
They started shortly after six and more than likely will be going on and off until well after midnight.

They are a bit smelly though, the fireworks that is, since even at this late hour it is quite nice temperature wise and the windows are open here in the sunroom and the temperature here right now in Port Charlotte Florida on our saltwater canal is seventy-two degrees with only forty-five per cent humidity! Sadly I may just have to close up due to the horrendous odor though… or perhaps the light tropical breeze will take it in another direction…

And yes we have decided to save the best of our celebration for closer to midnight … drum roll please…Strawberries and Champagne! Yes, we splurged for a small bottle of André and a pint of those ruby red succulent romantic juicy fruity jewels.
But somehow the herring for good luck must fit into that later menu, but it doesn’t sound right… oh well we will see!
I did buy the cliché black eyed peas for extra luck but foolishly in all the years living here in the south I never learned a recipe for them and so they may very well stay put.

Darn is that a siren I hear in the distance… I hope I am mistaken…too many have died over the years not remembering that drinking and driving don’t mix!
People wherever you are, be smart, and if you must drink find a designated non-drinking driver or stay where you are!
Here in the United States you can dial the toll free number, 1-800-AAA-HELP, provided by triple A and Budweiser, TOW to Go to keep dangerous people off the roads and they will come and get you and your car and get you home safely! It is a free service so use it!
Put the number in your cell phone and have it ready to hit!

You see, I want all of you back here next time to read this drivel, OK?
And on that classy way of telling you I truly care… I will wish you all a very happy good night and to all count those blessings and share those overages and we will too!

And next time when you are back here safe and sound I want to hear your stories of this night and how you enjoyed it too! Oh, and yeah, be here or be square, OK?
LOL! I almost forgot…HAPPY NEW YEAR PEEPS!

NG

‘NG’ in this case means ‘not good’ and that is how I am feeling right now.
We went out fairly early to get our grocery shopping done since surprise Hubby’s pension check had been electronically deposited a day early!
After I paid nearly all our bills online I told him perhaps we should go out before the holiday causes road delays and craziness in the stores and get our bi-monthly list completed and so we did.

I have still been getting high numbers on my test strips for my glucose and so about a week ago I asked Hubby to pick up one of those beverages that supposedly controls the spikes in your glucose. It is not medication, just a supplemental drink not that unlike the diet ones I have been consuming for breakfast on occasion.
And so I saw no reason to think that it could be harmful?
My glucose has been fluctuating a wee bit too high and this morning again it was 115 before breakfast and so I had a drink for that purpose. I have been dizzier than usual too.
One six pack is all Hubby bought and it has been refrigerated for over a week since I really thought it would be there just in case…

So we go to the grocery me in my scooter once we arrive and Hubby with the shopping cart as usual and we accomplish all that has to get done including picking up two of my prescriptions. But to be honest the pharmacist was coughing and not sounding too good.
Any-who I don’t fear this since I am bullet proof with due to September receiving my two in one flu shots, which I am sure are working in full strength by now!

Any-who, we or I should say Hubby thought that we should go through the drive thru at the golden arches since it was nearly twelve thirty and he’s hungry and so I agree and foolishly I decided to get my usual, which to be truthful has been since I was kid and when I was in much better shape than these days… Big Mac and French fries and no chocolate shake, which is the only change that I have made in this usual that only occurs once every few months these days, but it is one of the few places that you still get lunch for two for under ten bucks, true? I can remember when it was under two bucks! Boy, am I old or what? Funny thing about this particular meal; it was my comfort food when I came back from my European tour while in college (the golden arches were not in Europe yet, ancient history), it was the same meal choice but plus the shake since I was barely a hundred pounds soaking wet and so I did it without thought or any concern… it was at Kennedy Airport way back then in 1969! Although, I even had dysentery all the way home on the plane!(I drank the wrong bottled water in Portugal and had been given Paregoric on the trip home from chaperones)And so to me it was the metaphoric concept of kissing the USA ground, eating that burger, fries and shake from you know where!

Moving on… Ahhh memories…
Sadly though it was probably my downfall since my tummy was so bad this evening I have been living on generic tummy meds and ginger ale!
And I refused the nice dinner I helped make.
Actually my tummy refused it not me.

And so that is why I believe I do not feel well, but I could be wrong I have been wrong before. Sometimes trying to find the cause can be as stimulating as solving a mystery or as boring as one too.
All I know is I feel like crap and this is major that I brought myself to the computer to let you all know this, since up until a few minutes before this night's writing I had told Hubby he might have to tell you my fate of the day…
Oh well…life goes on and I am sure with all my other ills daily this is just another glitch in all that, huh? But the good thing about this one is that it will pass while the others seem to hang on…arthritis, ms and high blood pressure, cholesterol, optic neuritis (blind in one eye), ataxia (balance), possible diabetes… so to be honest this is NOT that big a deal, huh?
Sorry for this bologna again but it has been a while since I had any melt downs and I just read my FB friend's Blog and all her equal similar frustrations… but she continues to make lemonade out her lemons and so I will be here tomorrow trying for the same thing!

So happy night to all and to all count those blessings and share those overages and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, OK?

PS I would like to congratulate one of my other FB friends on the arrival of her new grandson he was early but took his time coming out and as of this time I understand all is well and let’s all hope that continues for his next one hundred years! Welcome X!