Geneseo NY

It is an Ives and Curry Christmas painting here. Postcard perfect snow scene. 18" on the deck and see the icicle in the photo it is 4' long over the deck. Sorry about the sideways photo, I don't know how to change it.

Mom's computer is down, guy coming Monday to see about fixing the broken component. So write or call her, she may be lonely without me. Susie is well. Maybe not well, but Susie again. Eating, playing, etc. I thought we might lose her. What a relief.

We are going to Walmart later for groceries and maybe some yarn and needles for a small knitting project to keep me from going snowcrazy. Maybe a new book too. :)

It's been fun watching the ice fishermen drilling holes, baiting them and going into their little tents. Looks like work just walking out there pulling a heavy sled. The snow is so deep they have to do the German duck march.

Stay warm.

Cherie's Heart

Cherie had heart surgery and afterwards her heart was beating too slowy. They are doing a cardiaversion? this morning and if that doesn't work will insert a pacemaker.

Susie ate a few morsels of roast beef this am. Seems a tad perkier.

Vic planning on 12" of snow before I get there Satuday. Hope the airport is open.

My dr appt today. Need prescriptions. Thats all for now.

Idol guys not so hot. Well, a couple are hot but can they sing? Actually, I really like three of their voices and that's not bad, as long as teenage girls agree. How would you like to have your furture in the hands of teenagers with cell phones?

Photos from Snow White's garden. All the marsh creatures are her friends. I don't know exactly what the egret though he would eat from the pool but I guess the leaves looked fresh.

My Little Susie

I took Susie back to the Vet for a B12 shot. She isn't eating and has lost a little over a pound in 10 days. Hoping the shot gives her an appetite. The Vet said her breath smelled like she might have renal failure. But had given her cough pills and antibiotic pills for her bronchitis. So I have decided to stop the pills in case they are upseting her stomach and causing her not to eat. Better to have bronchitis than starve. I hate leaving her Saturday if she still isn't eating. Time will tell.

Remembering Basils

Mom and I went to Basils on Manatee Ave. for dinner. It was impromptu as we watched the news it said gas prices were going up so we took both our cars which were empty and filled up. Living in Bradenton you don't use much gas unless you go to the beach alot. So we met at Basils and it brought back memories of when Vic and I would go there back in the day. Good grilled chicken. Pita bread. Salad. Beans. Mom got a pulled pork pita. It was just as I remembered.

Saturday morning I am going to this icy place. I think I will bring my long johns.

Part II Cortez Fun Saturday

So Mom And I went to the Mardi Gras atmosphere and crowd. We parked at the beach and bussed to the festival. Mom grumbling all the way. She doesn't like buses. Being seniors we only had to pay $.60 each for the ride each way.

A one block walk took us to the Admissions which was $2.00 each. Not bad since the money went to pay off mortgages of property the Village of Cortez bought as a Fish Preserve.

Gee, I hate that each photo will be in reverse order of my story. Oh, well, three wells make a river as my dear Mother used to say.

We passed the pirate that threw me the booty, which will be the actual post following this one as I wrote it before, which makes this whole thing even more bazaar. So anyway here is where I purchased a ticket to win a treasure box. I will hear this afternoon if I won, and its almost 3pm and I haven't heard so probably didn't win.

They had every seafood imaginable. From smoked mullet to fried crab and gumbo, boiled shrimp, fancy fish dishes with sauces galore. You had to buy tickets to get the food, of course they also had the usual fair food, fried twinkies, funnel cakes and kettle corn.

It was so crowded it was like Mardi Gras on carnival day. You aimed in the direction you wanted to go and just waited while the crowd took you there. Or maybe took you somewhere else but you got to see other stuff that way. There was lots to see for such a small village. The same lady with triangle swimsuits was there and another raffle which Mom and I each bought a ticket for was for a 19' boat with a cabin which turned out to be a sail boat and I also find out if I get to park it in my front yard today.

The artist that I liked best had copper wire and hoops made into mermaids and assorted sea creatures that had their main body parts filled with colorful glass globs soldered together. and included crabs, fish, octopus, sea shells, et.al.

The wardens that mom knows from DeSoto Park were there too and had many aquariums with fish and crabs and posters on the wall with drawings of the occupants and you were supposed to find Waldo so to speak and locate each of the drawing animals. Fun for the kids.

We were getting hungry and had passed the place to get tickets and wanted to see all they had before we were forced to make such a demanding choice. We found ourselves at the end of the food line with no tickets and wanted to turn back but somehow the crowd wanted to turn down a side street so see some more crafts. So we turned down the side street to see some more crafts. Of course, there were pet booths and they did have adorable pet clothes and leashes and hats. There were photo booths with fantastic shots of the island, beaches, homes, birds, and colorful beach chairs lined up in a colorful array. The most common booth seemed to be painted wood carvings of fish or pelicans or egrets and sometimes just directional type signs saying "Life is a Beach" or "Another Day in Paradise". Some had specific places named like Anna Maria Island or Beer Can Beach or Cortez of course. Very colorful and many were sold as we saw them carried in the crowd, whacking others as they passed

Finally we came to a quieter area and at a boat repair shop a guy was cooking hot dogs on a grill. They had a sign that said Hot Dog and Chips 2 tickets or $2. Bottled water 1 ticket or $1.00 and Mom and I saw it at the same time. We had just passed by the best smelling seafood in town, not to mention all the fixins' they had to go with it but we still didn't have tickets and all the stuff on the main drag was tickets only. And the tickets were at the beginning of the street with that roiling crowd. No discussion was needed we walked toward the hot dog guy and asked to be sure, "We can pay cash?" Yep. So Hot Dogs it was. Inside they had Diet Pepsi for $2.00 and we were in heaven. We even found a vacant spot at one of the two picnic tables pulled up in the shop's driveway. It was 2pm and I had eaten Yogurt for breakfast, boy, was I ready for that hot dog. As it turned out the hot dog and Chips were only 270 calories. Who knows what I would have eaten and not been able to figure out the calories later if we had just bought tickets at the begining of our entrance.

So it was a bus ride back, a fellow gave Mom his seat, and I was hanging on the rail while Dale Ernhart was driving the bus back to the beach. It sprinkled on us a bit off and on but not enough to get wet. I sure was nap time when I got home and Susie was ready for a nap too.

Cortez Seafood Festival

Cortez on the Gulf

Going with Mom to the festival at Cortez. Its a little chilly so we won't stay very long, but it is good exercise and we will see maritime crafts etc.

Seeking frozen waters

Wishing I was in NY with my honey, snow or not. Need some motivation, got to get my head back on, it must have fallen off when I wasn't doing anything.
Susie has bronchitis and needs two pills twice a day. She is not happy with the drugged feeling and bites hard. She hasn't eaten since the vet visit so no trying to sneak them down with food. At least she has stopped coughing. I mean completely stopped, amazing what that cough shot did. Also antibiotic shot, pills are the same for two weeks. She will really hate me after this ordeal. She came back from the vet and just stands. Stands...not normal at all. She wanted Mom and I up at 6am this morning. Woofing at both of us but not wanting anything except for us to get up. I finally started sleeping through the woofs after the third time up and making her go outside. Offered food, nope. Offered to put her on my bed, nope. Not a happy camper. Nor I. Photo of Susie at George's house on New Orleans trip with Mom.

Monday Feb.15

Yesterday I finished gluing a jigsaw puzzle to a cardboard box. Today I will start on another puzzle after I finish mybook. Susie has a bad cough. She has a dr. Appt. at 4:15 today. Also about Susie, the long curling nose ornament came off. She is now sporting as smaller round one. See what the Dr. Says about that.

Happy Birthday Gail

Valentine's Day

My sweetie called me from NY. We will have a date when he returns. I got a swiss watch, from Diamonds International on the ship for my Valentines gift. He got two Valentine cards from me.
One of us is doing well.

Dreamin' Blue

Boy, I had a good dream about being on the Gulf Coast with a bunch of family. I was a teenager. Ha! George was there and some friends and Mom and Dad. Swimming in pool and beach and we all went to a small grocery store for a coke and a snack and I had to get money from Mom and she gave me Commemorative coins from a collection. I didn't spend them because they were worth much more than a coke and chips. But anyway the water and the boys were beautiful.

While at dock in Roatan I took this photo from our balcony.

Salty Blues

I'm not exactly blue. But it is a let down to return to practically solitude after so much good company and my loving husband. I am a little overwhelmed by all that I have to do and am no good at organizing and very good at procrastinating.

I have made definite plans for today. Such as going to Walmart and getting healthy food. Umm... I didn't go yesterday. And attending the water class at the Y, also didn't go yesterday. And going to the library to get a card and ONE book. And to put away all the cruise stuff, which is difficult as there isn't much room to fit it in. And some was new and didn't have a previous place. Also plan to move some furniture. The table between the chair I sit in is going and the "seahorse" table is moving there from my bedroom so that I can open my empty jewelery box. Also pay bills and try to locate missing receipts.

I sure loved being in that beautiful water with the stingrays. Well, when they weren't swarming me because my scrubs were the color of the crew's legs. The crew with the squid. I ripped them off and they left for browner legs.

So I guess. I need to get off the blog and get to business. Oh, I forgot, I also plan to shave the dingleberries off Susie. Just had to throw that in. We both hate doing it and both are happier afterwards. Have a great day.

Cruise Memories

Really loved the turtle farm. Tanks of sea turtles several different kinds and ages. We all held them and they were so passive. I took lots of photos there and these are some of my favorites. I wish I knew how to turn them around. Oops. Kelly, I hope you aren't seasick from being sideways in this photo. I think Sean and Christina enjoyed this little guy.
I did hold one for a short time, I got him from Chris though, I didn't fish him out of the tank by myself. I didn't want to take the chance of diving in the water.
I may have taken more photos there than anywhere else on the cruise. I will have to send more to Linda so she can enjoy them as well. When she was a child in the Bahamas, she had a sea turtle pet that lived in a large galvanized metal tub in the yard at her Grandmother's house where she was raised. She had it for a long time.

Birthday Cruise

We are back and all well except Kelly. She will be better soon. My party was so much fun, and I got fab gifts, who knew? I gave out gifts as well and we were all dressed up formal, tee hee, and some had baked Alaska while I had candles in my Chocolate cake. We all were disapointed in Hell. All loved the turtle farm and got to hold turtles. And we couldn't have asked for more from the stingrays. They swam for us as soon as we dropped anchor, leaving another boat for ours. Jeanne was one of the first in the water and Kathy didn't get in. Fear of freaky looking swimming sponges with dangerous barbs. The rest of us were only scared of the freaky deckhands. I did have my hand sucked inside the mouth of one stingray and Kelly bitten but not badly. Photo above shows Kelly and Jeanne in the water in background.