Did a walk in the woods yesterday - actually did two of them... I headed out and got to the main trail when heard galumphing behind me. Here came the lab running up the trail behind me. Guess he didn't think much of being left behind. Unfortunately he has VERY limited social skills when it comes to meeting others on the trail so I needed to catch him and take him home. That took some doing (and Kyle running all the way from the house - Bison is HIS dog and it responds better to him...) but we got him caught and walked back to the house and locked in the "dog room". Then I headed back out - this time sans any dogs (I usually take the jack russel with me off-leash because HE has GREAT walking skills...) but it was HOT and he wasn't interested.
I HAD to go though - there is a dead branch that reaches out into the middle of the trail and it catches me on the shoulder when I'm riding my horse and it HURTS as it drags down my arm and back. So I grabbed my little garden saw and some hand clippers and headed back out again. Got it trimmed (and a couple of other offending branches). Here in Florida we need to do trail maintenance several times a week since everything grows so quickly.
Anyhow - by the time I got home I felt like I had done a complete T-Tapp workout! Hot and sweaty. LOL So into the pool I went. Aaaaaaaah.
Anyhow - hope everybody is having a GREAT Friday! Be sure to give extra lovin' to all the awesome men in our lives this weekend. If you want to read the BEST tribute to a Dad I've ever read (be sure to have tissues handy) check out this blog...
http://www.thegreatfitnessexperiment.com/2011/06/the-where-of-being-a-father.html
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Yah, I've been Bad.
Seems like since we went to Arizona, I just sort of fell off the earth. Lots has been going on around here, but I think about a blog post while I'm driving or working or whatever, and then I completely forget to actually write it!
So...
We got home safely and since then we've been busy. Well, actually, when we first got home, we just sort of slept for about 2 days... but then we got busy. Kyle spent a couple days unpacking everything and getting his room put back together. And I went back to work.
This weekend I had a BUSY school schedule. I worked until 1:00, dashed home and grabbed my suitcase and hit the road. Got to school at 4:30 and started teaching at 5. (I had 11 students, a good sized class...) Taught until 10:00 and then back to my hotel and off to bed. They FINALLY got some decent channels at the hotel, so I turned on the Food Channel and set it to turn off in 30 minutes. I'm not sure I even saw the first commercial.
Got up at 6:30 and out of there a little after 7. Drove down to Miami - just as I was pulling into the complex the school was located in, the other instructor called and reeled me in. (I've never been there before.) We got there at 8:30 with class scheduled to start at 9. But Friday when I was checking the schedule, I noticed there wasn't one on the schedule for the 10th! So... at 8:55 when there still weren't any students I called the Director. Just as he answered, 4 people walked in. That's all we had. (I usually have between 20 and 60 students for my review classes!) All of the people that showed up were personally invited by the instructor...
Anyhow - I taught them until 1:30 and then let them take a 30 minute break. (They all went to Burger King and brought it back to eat while studying...) Then I proctored their exam. The last one was done at 3:30, one passed, 2 were within 2 questions of passing, and 1 blew it. I was pretty happy. I was out of there by 3:45, which was good, because I had to be back to my other school in Boynton by 5. Grabbed a California Whopper Jr on the way and got there with minutes to spare.
Taught until 10:00 again. I was TIRED by the time the day was over!!! I just went to the hotel and the cleaning lady had left me a pack of Oreos, so I ate a couple and went to sleep.
Sunday morning I was up by 7 and out by 7:30. Was supposed to be at school by 7:30, but just couldn't get out of bed. And made the mistake of turning on the TV and got caught up in some of the 9/11 shows. There was an excellent program on the radio on the way to school so none of us even went in until just before 8. Taught again until 6:40, did my inventory, got everything put away and out by 7. Then drove home, got there just before 9:00. BOY was I glad I didn't have a zillion review students that I had to grade tests and email results for before I could go to bed!
Monday morning I got up LATE and didn't make it into the office until 10:30! Stayed until 2:30 and then Kyle and I went to open a bank account for him and do some grocery shopping. When we got home, Sabrina and I went for a walk in the woods (Kyle was cleaning out the shed) and then we watched some of Jim's baby videos. He was so cute! We watched his birth and the first couple of weeks, then we jumped ahead to Christmas and Rozann and Frank's wedding. It was cool to see everybody! Boy we were all young, skinny and had BLACK hair! LOL
Today I was up and at the office just after 8. Worked until 6:30 and then came home so Kyle and I could walk in the woods. Poor Sabrina has a cold and got sent home from work early. She can't taste anything, but I made her eat a scrambled egg tonight anyway. (I had ramen noodles and Kyle made himself a big plate of french fries!)
Ok, now I have to go to bed. But here's a quick picture of the property. I PROMISE I'll put more on here tomorrow.
So...
We got home safely and since then we've been busy. Well, actually, when we first got home, we just sort of slept for about 2 days... but then we got busy. Kyle spent a couple days unpacking everything and getting his room put back together. And I went back to work.
This weekend I had a BUSY school schedule. I worked until 1:00, dashed home and grabbed my suitcase and hit the road. Got to school at 4:30 and started teaching at 5. (I had 11 students, a good sized class...) Taught until 10:00 and then back to my hotel and off to bed. They FINALLY got some decent channels at the hotel, so I turned on the Food Channel and set it to turn off in 30 minutes. I'm not sure I even saw the first commercial.
Got up at 6:30 and out of there a little after 7. Drove down to Miami - just as I was pulling into the complex the school was located in, the other instructor called and reeled me in. (I've never been there before.) We got there at 8:30 with class scheduled to start at 9. But Friday when I was checking the schedule, I noticed there wasn't one on the schedule for the 10th! So... at 8:55 when there still weren't any students I called the Director. Just as he answered, 4 people walked in. That's all we had. (I usually have between 20 and 60 students for my review classes!) All of the people that showed up were personally invited by the instructor...
Anyhow - I taught them until 1:30 and then let them take a 30 minute break. (They all went to Burger King and brought it back to eat while studying...) Then I proctored their exam. The last one was done at 3:30, one passed, 2 were within 2 questions of passing, and 1 blew it. I was pretty happy. I was out of there by 3:45, which was good, because I had to be back to my other school in Boynton by 5. Grabbed a California Whopper Jr on the way and got there with minutes to spare.
Taught until 10:00 again. I was TIRED by the time the day was over!!! I just went to the hotel and the cleaning lady had left me a pack of Oreos, so I ate a couple and went to sleep.
Sunday morning I was up by 7 and out by 7:30. Was supposed to be at school by 7:30, but just couldn't get out of bed. And made the mistake of turning on the TV and got caught up in some of the 9/11 shows. There was an excellent program on the radio on the way to school so none of us even went in until just before 8. Taught again until 6:40, did my inventory, got everything put away and out by 7. Then drove home, got there just before 9:00. BOY was I glad I didn't have a zillion review students that I had to grade tests and email results for before I could go to bed!
Monday morning I got up LATE and didn't make it into the office until 10:30! Stayed until 2:30 and then Kyle and I went to open a bank account for him and do some grocery shopping. When we got home, Sabrina and I went for a walk in the woods (Kyle was cleaning out the shed) and then we watched some of Jim's baby videos. He was so cute! We watched his birth and the first couple of weeks, then we jumped ahead to Christmas and Rozann and Frank's wedding. It was cool to see everybody! Boy we were all young, skinny and had BLACK hair! LOL
Today I was up and at the office just after 8. Worked until 6:30 and then came home so Kyle and I could walk in the woods. Poor Sabrina has a cold and got sent home from work early. She can't taste anything, but I made her eat a scrambled egg tonight anyway. (I had ramen noodles and Kyle made himself a big plate of french fries!)
Ok, now I have to go to bed. But here's a quick picture of the property. I PROMISE I'll put more on here tomorrow.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Thursday
Today we took Bison up to the vet to get his rabies shot and a health certificate. The vet said he was in good shape (especially since he got kicked in the head a couple of months ago) and that he was probably lab / asian (akita, chow, or some such breed). He was VERY well behaved... except for not wanting to get back in the truck when we were done.
By the time we get to Arizona, he'll be an old hand at this stuff!
Meanwhile, the guys spent the majority of the day sitting around waiting for a load. They are now on their way to just outside Detroit. Jim has never been to Michigan before, so he's looking forward to adding another state to his list.
And, of course, Irene. She brought lots of wind today. Even though I have lived in Florida for 30 years, when I walked out of the office and felt a stiff warm wind, my very first thought was "ooooh, a chinook!" LOL Like when you smell a crayon and it takes you back to kindergarten, no matter how old you are. Not much rain, which is ok, we've had plenty lately...
"They" are predicting some pretty scary stuff for the New York area though. Irene is supposed to be between a Category 4 and a Category 5 by the time she gets up there. The storm surge is supposed to be 5 - 11 feet which means lots of flooding. And with all the tall buildings, the wind gets in there and creates wind tunnels. Sounds like it could be pretty bad. They are making evacuation plans.
We are too. Evacuating, that is. From Florida to Arizona. (grin)
By the time we get to Arizona, he'll be an old hand at this stuff!
Meanwhile, the guys spent the majority of the day sitting around waiting for a load. They are now on their way to just outside Detroit. Jim has never been to Michigan before, so he's looking forward to adding another state to his list.
And, of course, Irene. She brought lots of wind today. Even though I have lived in Florida for 30 years, when I walked out of the office and felt a stiff warm wind, my very first thought was "ooooh, a chinook!" LOL Like when you smell a crayon and it takes you back to kindergarten, no matter how old you are. Not much rain, which is ok, we've had plenty lately...
"They" are predicting some pretty scary stuff for the New York area though. Irene is supposed to be between a Category 4 and a Category 5 by the time she gets up there. The storm surge is supposed to be 5 - 11 feet which means lots of flooding. And with all the tall buildings, the wind gets in there and creates wind tunnels. Sounds like it could be pretty bad. They are making evacuation plans.
We are too. Evacuating, that is. From Florida to Arizona. (grin)
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Wednesday
Wow. Time is really moving on. Since I'm at the office all day, I don't really see all that Kyle is doing to get ready to leave in THREE DAYS, but he tells me he "has it under control". LOL Today he is working with Bison to get him comfortable getting in and out of the truck bed. And getting the liner out of the pool. Yesterday he unloaded all the "extras" out of the back seat of Rod's truck and is also going through all that and sorting it into stuff to put back in the truck, stuff to put away where it belongs, and stuff to ... get rid of. (grin)
Meanwhile... Irene.
Still looks like we are out of the woods. The local radio station is predicting rain and wind Thursday afternoon/evening (like we don't get that daily in the summer anyway) and through the night and early morning hours on Friday but then she will move on up the coast and we should have bright blue skies and a little lower humidty. (She will drag everything up with her... I love hurricanes!)
However, looks like Irene won't be visiting us, but neither will Rod and Jim. They had some scheduling snaffoos at their pick up and deliveries last night and today (the folks they are driving for are trying something new and still working the bugs out...) so they got pulled off the Orlando load. Boo hoo!!! But that's the life of a trucker. You just roll with it.
This morning Bison decided to check out the neighborhood - and took Ozzie with him! The miscreants! They were down the street about a quarter mile. Luckily a friendly neighbor stopped by and let me know where they were and then another pulled over and nabbed Bison until I could get there. I will MISS my boy, but NOT his dog! LOL I read somewhere lately that a good deterent for keeping dogs out of your yard/garden was moth balls, so we will be buying a BIG bag of moth balls and when we get the fence put up, lining it with them. Hopefully it works to keep dogs IN your yard/garden as well! (He is the king of digging out...)
Meanwhile... Irene.
Still looks like we are out of the woods. The local radio station is predicting rain and wind Thursday afternoon/evening (like we don't get that daily in the summer anyway) and through the night and early morning hours on Friday but then she will move on up the coast and we should have bright blue skies and a little lower humidty. (She will drag everything up with her... I love hurricanes!)
However, looks like Irene won't be visiting us, but neither will Rod and Jim. They had some scheduling snaffoos at their pick up and deliveries last night and today (the folks they are driving for are trying something new and still working the bugs out...) so they got pulled off the Orlando load. Boo hoo!!! But that's the life of a trucker. You just roll with it.
This morning Bison decided to check out the neighborhood - and took Ozzie with him! The miscreants! They were down the street about a quarter mile. Luckily a friendly neighbor stopped by and let me know where they were and then another pulled over and nabbed Bison until I could get there. I will MISS my boy, but NOT his dog! LOL I read somewhere lately that a good deterent for keeping dogs out of your yard/garden was moth balls, so we will be buying a BIG bag of moth balls and when we get the fence put up, lining it with them. Hopefully it works to keep dogs IN your yard/garden as well! (He is the king of digging out...)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Tuesday
The preparation goes on. Kyle returned all his shirts to his old job today (and met his replacement...) He was planning to spend part of the day training Bison to get in and out of his crate in the back of the truck, but Bison doesn't really "do" thunderstorms and we've had lots of that today. So he is hiding in the back of his crate in the "dog room". No amounts of bacon will get him out. LOL (big baby)
Meanwhile - Irene is still churning away out there. Bahamas (Nassau) is preparing for a pretty good hit later today. And then it's open ocean (90 degree water - PERFECT for hurricane development) and on up towards the U.S. They are predicting it will stay out in the ocean and we should just get the tropical storm winds. Nothing big.
Meanwhile we are being watched over. Rod and Jim got their new load assignment. Left Atlanta and headed north to Chattanooga, TN to pick up a load, then to Chicago, IL to deliver it and pick up something else. That load gets delivered on Thursday. In ORLANDO! So they will be there in time for the storm and if it looks like it's going to "bobble" to the west, they'll put in for emergency time off and come help us get the house prepped. (Not that there is much to do... I already dumped the swimming pool this week...)
Stay tuned... never a dull moment around here.
(And sure glad to hear nobody was hurt in the earthquake in NY and DC!) Signs of the times.......
Meanwhile - Irene is still churning away out there. Bahamas (Nassau) is preparing for a pretty good hit later today. And then it's open ocean (90 degree water - PERFECT for hurricane development) and on up towards the U.S. They are predicting it will stay out in the ocean and we should just get the tropical storm winds. Nothing big.
Meanwhile we are being watched over. Rod and Jim got their new load assignment. Left Atlanta and headed north to Chattanooga, TN to pick up a load, then to Chicago, IL to deliver it and pick up something else. That load gets delivered on Thursday. In ORLANDO! So they will be there in time for the storm and if it looks like it's going to "bobble" to the west, they'll put in for emergency time off and come help us get the house prepped. (Not that there is much to do... I already dumped the swimming pool this week...)
Stay tuned... never a dull moment around here.
(And sure glad to hear nobody was hurt in the earthquake in NY and DC!) Signs of the times.......
Monday, August 22, 2011
Countdown Monday
This is Kyle's FINAL WEEK in Florida. So Florida is planning a SEND OFF.....
Introducing Hurrican Irene!
For those who aren't familiar with Florida geography, if you look at where it says FL, to the right is a little "nose". That's Cape Canaveral (home of NASA - well USED to be home of the space shuttle program...) and just below the nose is Malabar.
It's early in the forecast week, but so far they are saying it should hit on Friday.
We plan to leave on Saturday.
We aren't "evacuators". Being small business owners, we always stuck close to home to be there for the business - to protect the building in case there was damage and against possible looting. The only time I ever loaded up the kids, dogs, and computers, we headed across the state to Tampa to shelter with my sister-in-laws family. The hurricane skipped across to the Gulf of Mexico and hit us in Tampa! (And our home in Palm Bay didn't even get rain...) So I'm a "ride it out" person. My home is a sturdy cement block home (unlike the "stick house" built by Hallmark, yes a CARD company, we weathered the 2004 hurrican season in...). And, really, if Irene or any of her sisters wants to take it out - BRING IT! My mortgage is so underwater... I wouldn't mind! LOL (Arizona, here I come?)
Anyhow - we'll be watching the weather and making our plans as the weekend gets closer.
In the meantime, Kyle is getting a water pump today (12 volt, runs off his solar panel and allows him to transfer water from the 55 gal drum into the bigger "permanent" barrel...) and dreaming of mountains, desert, and DRY heat. LOL
The guys made a surprise visit yesterday! They were running from Atlanta to Nashville to Miami, but didn't need to be in Miami until 7:00 this morning. So had 20-ish hours to spare. Parked the truck at a company drop yard 5:30 Sunday morning. Kyle and I drove over and picked them up and we got to spend the entire day with them! It was WONDERFUL! (Shhh, don't tell anybody, we skipped church - just sprawled on the couch all day and laughed and talked and enjoyed each other's company...) Jim and Kyle spent a couple of hours in his room talking and playing a video came - getting lots of "brother" time in before the big move. Jim picked Sabrina up after work and they came back for dinner about 8. Steaks, mashed potatoes, broccoli and salad. Then we tried to catch naps and headed back to Orlando at midnight.
This morning they are driving back to Atlanta, but this time going up the Turnpike (in the center of the state), so no "drive-by" honking.
But it was sure good to see them!!!!!
Introducing Hurrican Irene!
For those who aren't familiar with Florida geography, if you look at where it says FL, to the right is a little "nose". That's Cape Canaveral (home of NASA - well USED to be home of the space shuttle program...) and just below the nose is Malabar.
It's early in the forecast week, but so far they are saying it should hit on Friday.
We plan to leave on Saturday.
We aren't "evacuators". Being small business owners, we always stuck close to home to be there for the business - to protect the building in case there was damage and against possible looting. The only time I ever loaded up the kids, dogs, and computers, we headed across the state to Tampa to shelter with my sister-in-laws family. The hurricane skipped across to the Gulf of Mexico and hit us in Tampa! (And our home in Palm Bay didn't even get rain...) So I'm a "ride it out" person. My home is a sturdy cement block home (unlike the "stick house" built by Hallmark, yes a CARD company, we weathered the 2004 hurrican season in...). And, really, if Irene or any of her sisters wants to take it out - BRING IT! My mortgage is so underwater... I wouldn't mind! LOL (Arizona, here I come?)
Anyhow - we'll be watching the weather and making our plans as the weekend gets closer.
In the meantime, Kyle is getting a water pump today (12 volt, runs off his solar panel and allows him to transfer water from the 55 gal drum into the bigger "permanent" barrel...) and dreaming of mountains, desert, and DRY heat. LOL
The guys made a surprise visit yesterday! They were running from Atlanta to Nashville to Miami, but didn't need to be in Miami until 7:00 this morning. So had 20-ish hours to spare. Parked the truck at a company drop yard 5:30 Sunday morning. Kyle and I drove over and picked them up and we got to spend the entire day with them! It was WONDERFUL! (Shhh, don't tell anybody, we skipped church - just sprawled on the couch all day and laughed and talked and enjoyed each other's company...) Jim and Kyle spent a couple of hours in his room talking and playing a video came - getting lots of "brother" time in before the big move. Jim picked Sabrina up after work and they came back for dinner about 8. Steaks, mashed potatoes, broccoli and salad. Then we tried to catch naps and headed back to Orlando at midnight.
This morning they are driving back to Atlanta, but this time going up the Turnpike (in the center of the state), so no "drive-by" honking.
But it was sure good to see them!!!!!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Food, Glorious Food!
Kyle is getting ready to go. And, of course, as a growing young man, part of that means making sure he has something to EAT! He has been slowly accumulating stuff over the last couple of months.
Beans, corn, fruit, veggies, and the ever present Ramen Noodles. Jars of spaghetti sauce, pounds of noodles and even more pounds of rice. Black beans galore. Canned potatoes and carrots... and a really nice cast iron fry pan and dutch oven. (And a regular pot for the other stuff...)
A nice new sleeping bag for the cold nights (goes down to 30 and he has LOTS of blankets), 2 solar power kits, a fancy new Yamaha generator, a big blue water jug and the world's coolest garden thingie. It looks a little like those old fertilizer spreader things you walk behind, only it has MORE. Two hoppers. A little v-shaped thingie that digs the row, then as you walk there is a plate that turns and depending on what you are planting, at the right time, it drops a single seed, then the other hopper drops a little fertilizer, and the rear wheel covers it all over! Sheesh! That will come in SUPER handy since he is planning on a BIG garden. (Oh and a stick that hangs out to the side and draws a line in the dirt for your NEXT row!)
Oh. And last week he picked a rose for me from his plant right outside his bedroom window. What a sweet guy!
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