Happy Halloween

It is Friday October 31, 2008 Halloween. It is also the last day of October. November starts tomorrow and so does my last bout with making phone call surveys for the local Democratic Candidate. After this coming Tuesday, the election for President will be over. The political signs will come down. The local political races will also be decided. The new month will focus on Thanksgiving turkey day which includes football and food. There will be lots of both. I can only hope we have some cool weather to go with this Thanksgiving. I have a lot of memories associated with past Thanksgiving dinners. My Aunt Jean was a very big part of those memories. She was a perfectionist with the food, the place settings, the living room and the stereo music. There was never a bad turkey or a silver setting that was dirty and out of place. The music she listen to was from the 1940's big band era on the local radio station. She outlived my dad and my Uncle Paul from North Carolina. She even outlived her husband Tom which we didn't know had been married before until after he passed away. Going back in time when my dad would drive mom and I over from Oakland, Florida to New Port Richey we would see the wild flowers growing along the road. They would be small pretty flowers and have many different colors of purple, pink and different shades of maroon. I don't think we ever stopped to pick those flowers, but I always thought it would have been nice. We always seemed to be on a time schedule, but in a round about way would end up slightly a little late. We would make one or two stops along the way to stretch or take a restroom break. My dad would get there in an acceptable time and we would be committed for staying one or two days afterwards. My sister got out of those commitments most of time, because she worked and had animals to look after. My Aunt Jean and my Uncle Tom adjust well to Florida living. They had lived in Indiana, but chose to spend there retirement in Florida. They even had a local Catholic church across from their subdivision so they didn't have far to travel to attend church. Halloween was more my holiday. I as a kid would make a once a year house to house search with two big paper sacks to collect candy from neighbors I didn't even know. I felt like I made out like a bandit and no one ever did anything cruel like put razor blades in the candy. I did hear rumors, but fortunately they only stayed that way for me. It was also a chance to get creative with the costumes. The older I got the more creative I tried to get. There was the time Rosie O'Gradys had the Halloween costume contest. I tried to make a paper Ms. Pac Man. I didn't win anything, because the people there were far more creative than I dreamed of being. I under estimated my competition. This year mom tries giving the hand out tooth brushes. We will see how well this is received. I hope there will be a good old scary movie on. The picture is of two guys we met last night who went fishing underneath the North bridge where the pylons are located. Their oars are shovels which double as scrapers of the oysters which grow on the pylons. This action brings the fish to the surface and they bring home a lot of good eating fish.

Fly me to the moon

Fly me to the moon is the song which reminds me of reaching the ultimate goal. The song is the ultimate goal in reaching love. There are other goals like the one the Democrat Candidate Barack Obama talked about if he became President. John McCain the Republican Candidate talked about this goal too. I think of those people braving the late night hour in Kissimmee and the cold weather just to hear Barack Obama and Former President Bill Clinton speak about Barack running for President. I know this seems to be a once in a life time historic event, but I could barely keep my eyes open to watch television. I know I wouldn't last through the long lines, late night and lack of bathrooms. This reminds me when my dad took me over to the Cape to see a shuttle launch. I sent away for a special pass where dad and I could get on the property. We were allowed to watch the launch from a certain area on the property. However, we were joined by countless other watchers and the bathrooms were outside portalets. I was glad the officials called off the launch. Dad and I went to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center to wait out the crowd leaving the property. The Visitor Center was nice and they had nice bathrooms. Later mom and I wised up and discovered we could get a ring side seat by booking a hotel room in Titusville facing the water and the Cape. We did this on more than one occasion. We saw some pretty wonderful launches without getting into a crowd of people, plus the hotel carried the NASA channel so we got to see the astronauts every move leading up to the countdown. If the launch was canceled, we had our food and drink so it wasn't a major disappointment. We just scheduled to come back another time. Later mom and I moved to New Smyrna Beach where we could see the shuttle take off between two houses across the street. We could also hear the roar of the engines follow after the shuttle had disappeared into the atmosphere. Reaching goals is a terrific feeling and failing to reach goals is a terrible feeling. I can only hope for more successes than failers.

Cool Wednesday

Cloris Leachman did get voted off last night. My phone calls to keep her on failed. She left stating she would be in the audience next week in a fancy outfit. I also learned off the Internet she will be the Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade this year. I think she will find a life after Dancing with the Stars. I am enjoying the cool weather and the crisp blue sky. This picture is part of the feeding time for the pigeons on the North entrance of the beach. The pigeons get real bold when it comes to eating. They will even land on a person's head if the person has food. I try to find old scary movies before Halloween. The stations like AMC and TCM won't play them other times of the year. Mom and I have already voted so all that is left is to watch the results. I think a nice snack type of dinner would be ideal. Something like cheese and crackers with little slices of lunch meat on top maybe with an olive or a little onion. Maybe some cut up carrots and celery to dip in ranch sauce. Maybe a few chicken strips or nuggets which ever looks good. What to drink would depend on the weather. If it is warm maybe a small glass of wine or a glass of beer. If it is cold maybe some hot chocolate or hot tea. I remember watching the New Smyrna Beach parade one year and it was real cold. I got some hot chocolate and it tasted real good. I remember also having a real bad cup of sugar free hot chocolate served with powdered eggs for breakfast at the local hospital. The food was fit for the prison tent farm out in Arizona, but I was hungry so I ate it anyways and survived. Today is Wednesday October 29, 2008 get car in shop day. I guess the rest will be made up as the day goes on.

Fall has some cool weather

Cloris Leachman got another 15 on her scoring last night. I admit the routine wasn't great, but her costume was pretty and she did do some good moves. I think the judges were a bit too harsh with her scoring. They also labeled her as old. The old title meant you were not as qualified to dance routines as your younger partners. Even Cloris's partner Corkey was praised by one of the judges who said " you were lucky to have him." Like he saved her with a bad routine. I used all my voting calls to keep her in the race. I really don't think they will do any good, but I had to try. The new judge Michael Flatley was better than the other two judges. He had the more positive attitude. I believe the other two judges Carrie Ann and Bruno should have gone on vacation with Len the oldest judge. Dancing with the Stars would have been better with a clean slate of new judges. This is a picture of a guy who regularly goes and feeds the pigeons on the North entrance of the beach. He brings a big bucket full of food and they all know where to eat. In the picture it looks like he has the attention of some seagulls. They get hungry and scare away the pigeons. I like the cool weather.

It's kind of spooky

Yesterday mom and I went to the beach kind of early. It was well before sunset. When we arrived at the North entrance, the Breakers restaurant was releasing all sorts of great cooking odors. It was enticing with the hamburger grilling odor and the barbecue odor from the other eating place across the street. Mom and I did take time to look at the surf, see all sorts of people and soak up any interesting characters we could find. There was this one young boy who liked to play in the trunk of the car. This is a very true statement;even though, I didn't get a picture with my camera. This young boy the size and age group of Cay lee Anthony was playing in the trunk like he lived there. The guardians just watched as he almost closed the trunk completely shut. They were perfectly calm and very use to this behavior. The one guy even changed the kid's diaper inside the trunk of the car. However, when they decided to leave the kid was outside the trunk sitting in the backseat. I did see him leave so I didn't feel guilty. I know kids do strange things but this was spooky in a disturbing way. The story about Casey Anthony locking her child in the trunk for eleven hours stuck in my mine when I saw this situation with the boy. I would personally never allow for this behavior. The kid gets his diaper changed in the backseat like ever other kid in America. This was a pretty parrot who did quite a bit of squawking. He also tend to bite at his owner. The owner would carry this bird everywhere on the beach. I saw the bird and his owner heading down the beach only to return later. Both bird and owner liked to look at the waves and reflect on the day's events. I think of the brave women young and old who endured the salt water and the coolness of the ocean air just to enjoy a day at the beach are bold. After smelling all the delicious smells from the Breaker's restaurant, I ended up getting fried chicken strips with a small plastic dish of potato salad. I munched off my mom's fries. She got a Ruben sandwich. When mom and I finally got home, I found it was later than I thought. Almost time for the news to start and our daily doze of Casey Anthony and her doomed upcoming trial.

Enjoying a sunset

October is almost over and November will be coming soon. This coming Friday will be Halloween and Saturday will be the First of November. Saturday would start out with All Saint's day followed by All Soul's day on Sunday. Traditionally All Saint's day was a holy day of obligation, but it is marked in red on the Catholic calendar this year as not a holy day of obligation. I guess the reasoning is that All Soul's day follows on Sunday. It would make it a double church day to have required church days next to each other. Plus, the Catholic calendar says that Standard time starts on Sunday November 2, 2008. The date November 14Th. is the schedule launch of the shuttle Endeavor. I love shuttle launches. There may not be too many left. The shuttle program is suppose to shut down in 2010. There is suppose to be a five year period where the U.S. astronaut is dependant on catching a ride with the Russians to go to the International Space Station. Five years before the U.S. has something new to take us into space flight. This picture was taken yesterday towards the evening on the North entrance of the beach facing West away from the beach. I love the color of orange which gleams in front of the evening sky. I think it is so island exotic looking that it would look good on a brochure. My neighbor Laurel got to see the Peace, Love and Rock&Roll show mom and I saw the other night. I hope she enjoyed the music and dancing. I guess I will find out either later today or tomorrow. I had a slight mishap. I accidentally spilled a gallon of paint which mom cleaned up when she got back from shopping. I took the groceries in and put them away. I also took down the rest of the clothes on the clothes line and put them away. Everything seem to work out eventually to a wonderful reflective evening. I feel so honored and privilege to see such wonderful sights. I think how this young Casey Anthony who is locked in a jail cell can never see beautiful sunsets or sunrises. She can never travel to the beach and soak up the ocean air. I think what a terrible waste of a young life. Also, Casey's daughter Caylee, I hope the things said about how she met her final hours aren't as horrible as it sounds on television. I hope for the best for others, but I enjoy the good things I can not put a price tag on. They are priceless.

Can you name that tune?

My neighbor Pauline who lives two houses down paid for church concert tickets which included my next door neighbor Carol, my mom and me. I truly didn't know what to expect because mom and I attended another church concert there with the local choir and they weren't so good at keeping our attention. The concert last night was different. They were introduced by the Senior Pastor as Sex, Love and Rock&Roll. This grabbed every one's attention in the audience including mine. Some lady hollered out to him the real name is Peace, Love and Rock&Roll. I don't know if this was an intentional boo boo, but it was a show grabber. Before the show started, Pauline had saved seats out for Carol, mom and I. She also included her Granddaughter's boyfriend Wayne who is a big help to Pauline around her house. I saw the paper Rock& Roll records on the stage along with some paper electric guitars. I also saw the band carrying electric guitars on to the stage. They were dressed in the hippy era of the late 1960's and early 1970's. One guy had on a black curly wig that made him look like a character from the television show" The Mod Squad." The songs being sung were from the 1960's and 1970's. If you closed your eyes you would think 20 year old kids were singing the songs. The sad reality is when you open your eyes. These were people in there 50's and 60's. They were no longer built like the Twiggy thin women of today or the beef cake life guards with women groupies hanging around. No, these were your Grandmother's and Grandfather's reliving an era of a time I can remember that seemed not too long ago. The voices were delightful. There were a couple of women who sang and I thought I was at a night club needing another Margarita. There was one singer I wanted to get more volume out. She was on key, but real shy. She sang the song "I don't know how to love him" from the musical Andrew Lloyd Weber's" Jesus Christ Superstar." The second verse was perfect, but I think she forgot some of the words to the first verse. Two songs that were missed was Debby Boone's " You light up my life" and Olivia Newton John's " I honestly love you." I can remember the kids in my school trying to mimic both songs in a mocking tone. I liked their version of YMCA village people words placed on an overhead projection screen. It was audience karaoke time. Lots of fun. I think they ended the show with a couple of Beatles tunes. The harmony was right in tune between two singers. Also the backup group were ideal in their harmony to the songs being sung. They were a great support to the main singer. The host singer was Rick Martorano who gracefully orchestrated us through an evening of wonderful music. The backup group was called Minister Theory. They were dynamically bold and made up of local artist which was totally awesome in my book. The church this event took place was The Coronado Methodist Church. This was a fundraiser for helping homeless families find work and a place to live. This is a great cause for a wonderful evening. My neighbor Pauline got her money's worth and she stands behind this cause of helping homeless families 100 percent.

The lunchin was a success

It is hard to believe I started working for the State of Florida in this building as a record's clerk many years ago. Yesterday, I ate lunch as Joe the unemployed non plumber at mom's former workplace The Bureau of Radiation Control. They were hosting a lunch to raise money for the United Way Campaign. The lunch cost 5 dollars a person and mom paid for the both of us. Chuck Ness was there and he paid for himself. I am sure Jerry also paid for himself. Randy was there and Steve was there. John Williamson who did the cooking was there and so was Leon. Joe Escalante was there who plans to dance the Hora at Lillian's Wedding. Bill Grimes was not there. Also Harlan mom's former boss was not there. Lew and Mary Dallas did not come and neither did Barbara Welch. It was fun to see where Lillian intends on having the wedding. She still has a lot of details to work out before the big day. The lunch was Bratwurst which was pretty good also homemade potato salad which was really good. There were two sets of bake beans. I got them both. I also grabbed plenty of cut up onion to put on the Bratwurst. I grabbed some chips and spilled some salad dressing on the chips. Ketchup layered the Bratwurst. I also brought along a diet coke to drink. The lunch food was good and the conversation nice. I took a few photos with my camera before leaving for home. I am glad to be home on this rainy Friday. The only trip during the day may be to the store. We have a church concert to attend this evening. I hope the weather will improve by that time.

Waiting for the Hotdogs

Bratwurst, what a dish to make for a fundraiser lunch in. My mom has the ideal bake beans to go with the meal. She also made oatmeal cookies which should be a crowd pleasure. I had a tough time trying to pick out a picture to go with today's writing. I first had a iron skillet full of fried chicken. The chicken was a deep golden brown color and you could just imagine how well it would taste. I would have to write something like this isn't your fried chicken eating day. I also saw pictures of my two dog buddies Holly and Berry. I didn't think this was too appropriate to feature them as the star attraction when I am going to devour some hot dogs for lunch. This is a picture of a guy tackling a ruff surf. I guess you could say" he was hot dogging it. " It will be nice to see Lillian spending her last moments in time as a single person. She will be taking the plunge next year April 5Th. to Aaron. She and her parents will be moving to Delaware after the wedding. They will be leaving hot muggy Florida behind. They also will have less worries about hurricanes than staying here. Lillian has a lot of work to do to get the wedding plans in shape for the big day. I also ran across an old picture of Lucille. Lucille has passed on, but she use to work at mom's former office. Bill Grimes, who also use to work at mom's former office was close friends with Lucille. The past is just a looking glass. It host a level of pleasant memories to stir up. However, the future is something not written in the present, but a desired perfection not yet achieved.

Things are happening on Tuesday

It was Toni Braxton that got the boot this week at the result show of Dancing with the Stars. I missed seeing Cloris Leachman get saved again. I was asleep until the end of the show. I tried to find some writing on the Internet about last nights show, but everything I tried to look at had to be downloaded. This took too much time and I grew impatient. I did my volunteer work yesterday which was calling people with a election survey of three questions. Some people were good natured and others were not. I was glad when it was over. I drove to the Pink Door resale shop and bought a couple of old records. One was the Trap singers and the other was Tex Ritter. Each album only cost 50 cents. I gave the albums to my mom and she can decide on what to do with them. Today it is fix stuff for her former office party tomorrow. Our neighbor Carol brought us some Amish friendship dough which is 3 days old. She says it has to be six to 10 days before it gets made. Carol says the results are tasty and it is a great way to socialize with your neighbors. I will report later and let everyone know how it really turns out.

March ahead on Tuesday

I greet Tuesday with a warm cup of coffee.This is a picture of my mom and our neighbor Laurel. Laurel wanted to visit the pumpkin patch at her church in New Smyrna Beach. Her church is the Coronado Methodist church and they host the pumpkin sale every year. The coffee is really good this morning. It gently tells my insides to wake up. I think today we will have to return to the use of the air conditioning unit. I believe the cold weather has left for a while. The weather people say we are suppose to get rain later in the week. Tonight is the result show with Dancing with the Stars. I grit my teeth because Cloris Leachman is the one who stands the most chance of being voted off. I did call and get through one time, but this may not be enough to save her for another week. She also said she wanted to stay one more week. I can at least be grateful she scored above a teen score. It was 21 and this isn't bad, but not up to the equal of the other dancers. Both mom and I watched a Barack Obama rally in Orlando with featured speaker Senator Hillary Clinton who threw her total support towards Barack Obama. He in return called her friend and praised her for her dedication. Both people spoke about voting for Barack and hoping for change. It was inspiring, but I am glad mom and I did not join the crowd of thousands of people. I believe we got a good seat in front of the television. As I take my first pill this morning, I am reminded of how I use to place the pills I would give my dog far back in the dog's mouth, closed the mouth and raise the head. After this procedure, I would stroke the neck until the dog swallowed the pill. Hopefully, the dog would not cough up the pill which happened on many occasions. My first pill wasn't large so it should have gone down easy, but it took a little work this morning. Sometimes things just don't go quite right. One down and more to come later on this morning. I do some volunteer work this afternoon and meet mom later on after she gets her new hairdo from her beautician friend Heidi Ann.

Simple thoughts

Today is garbage day. All the weekend trash goes out to the street for the trash man to pick up. Tomorrow I do volunteer work at the back of my mom's Democratic office for a lady named Suzanne Kosmos. She is running against a guy named Tom Feeney. This is a picture of a squirrel sitting on the pumpkin at the pumpkin sale held by the Methodist church in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. It shows how simple and fun a squirrel's life is in the outdoors. The local press has been laying off the Casey Anthony stories. I guess since nothing major is happening her story is not news worthy. Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton are suppose to be at the Amway Arena today at 6, but the parking and seating open at 3 in the afternoon. I imagine the place will be pack with people. Getting in and out plus finding a parking place would be a nightmare. Hopefully the news people will carry the story on the evening news. I guess dinner will be leftovers from the pork dinner mom and I had last evening. Oven cooking gets pretty popular when the weather gets a bit cooler.

Take a picture it last longer

Late Saturday afternoon, Mom, my neighbor Laurel and I went to Laurel's church to see the pumpkin sale. The largest cost 20 dollars and the smallest cost 75 cents. I just wasn't emotionally prepared to shell out this type of money for a pumpkin. I kept hoping for a pie in the sky dream of a reasonable price. What I meant by reasonable price is something I could afford and feel comfortable paying the money. I wanted the value for my dollar. Maybe the prices will fall at a later date. Right now, I can only rejoice in seeing the gas prices go down if only for a little while. Last night mom turned off the air conditioning. I got to hear my neighbor's air conditioning unit working smoothly as I tried to drift off to sleep. I did watch a little of Saturday Night Live where they had both Sarah Palin and Tina Fey on. I actually thought Tina Fey was more cute with her statements than Sarah. Sarah was way too serious. I also liked seeing Alec Baldwin. I thought he did pretty good on Saturday Night Live. Also, the guy who played George W. Bush in the movie W opened up the show with how he portrayed the Character George W. Bush. He was OK, but not way out funny. Lunch was kind of interesting. I ate at the Little Drug Store in downtown New Smyrna Beach. They have a soda fountain and play music from the 50's,60's and early 70's from the local radio station WSBB. I had a combination of fried fish sticks, fried shrimp and fried chicken tiny patties. Plus it came with fries and coleslaw. I washed it down with a diet coke. I sat in a booth, because it didn't look too crowded. They have a notice posted to kind of reserve the booth for more than one person. However, I didn't think they would mind at the time since the other customers weren't there. After the lunch meal, I paid the bill at the cashier's stand at the front of the store. I got a chance to look at the stuff they were selling. One item was a stuffed toy owl holding a stuffed pumpkin and both are singing " Monster Mash." This cute little item cost 35 dollars. I considered this too steep for my budget. I just admire and hope for a half price sale. It was like I had stepped into a time warp with everything else except for the prices. I had gone back to a time before I was even born. I had also stopped by The Pink Door where I saw an album that had The Trap singers. The real singers from The Sound of Music. I didn't see any clothes that I wanted today, but I will keep checking. They have new items coming on a daily basis.

Friday at the movies

It is Saturday the 18Th. of October. The end of the month is drawing closer. Halloween will be here a little less than two weeks away. The next day November 1 All Saints day followed by All Souls the next day. This is a view of the structure on the North end of the beach where Mom and I hang out just to look at the ocean. Many other people hang out there also. There are dog owners and kids in there almost early 20's with shorts down to the ankles. I had a pair the other night and fit right in there with two other guys. Mom and I went yesterday to see the movie W about the current President who is about to leave office after the election when the next President is sworn in. I got bored during the movie, because I thought it dragged on too long. Mom liked Richard Dreyfus portrayal of Dick Cheney. At least, I can say I saw the movie, but I want the next movie to have a little bit of quality to make up for this one.

Small Steps

Thursday was a day for small steps. Mom finally got her health insurance picked out and signed up. She was pleased she didn't have to find anymore right keys on the computer to push or work through a maze of questions only to be thrown into a screen of uncertainty. It was a Halloween scream before Halloween. This is a picture of Angel the green parrot which mom and I met at the beach the other evening. She says "Bye" real well. I had lunch yesterday at The Little Drug Store. I had a mushroom burger with fries. The burger also had Swiss cheese and onion lettuce and tomato. It was good and I enjoyed it. Afterwards, I drove on to Winn Dixie to pick up some specials. Angel toilet paper two sets of double rolls for eleven dollars. I got a small four dollar squash which I don't believe was a bargain. Also, the sugar free chocolate chip cookies from the deli price was nearly five dollars. I splurged on the cookies just to satisfy my chocolate taste. Mom and I did not attend a Political Hobnob where we would have been able to meet the candidates running for local offices. Instead, we stayed home and ate pizza. We also talked with a neighbor from down the street. She came over to visit and invite us to a church musical show.

Wednesday evening at the shoreline

I made through the middle of the week. I got to see the ocean yesterday after dinner. Always a mixture of wind and waves crashing into the shoreline. Surfers dodging in and out of the wave coming into the shoreline. Families with their small children playing along the shoreline. I had a lady who was a total stranger come up to me. She took my camera and took a picture of me with my hair messed up by the wind. I also saw a green parrot named Angel. The parrot loved being on her owner's shoulder with the wind blowing at the back end. Mom and I went home and watched the final debate between Obama and McCain. Mom went all to pieces in an exasperating level of frustration that was funny to watch. " If I had an egg I would through it at the TV." I thought "Oops" protect our eggs. I have other plans such as scramble eggs or hard boil eggs. I even thought of a custard or tapioca pudding. Eggs and tomatoes are far too valuable to eat versus throwing them at the TV.

New day for new adventures

This is a picture of my friend Dee and her new dog patches. She is very proud of her new dog and companion. He is also a good watch dog for her. I tried to get the latest moon shot from last night, but I soon discovered the picture had no substance. It had a light which was it. When I took the shot last night, I thought I could get more into the picture. I had a Norfolk Pine swaying in the breeze underneath the moon. I thought I had the tip of the Norfolk Pine and the moon together. I just had a white circle against a black sky. This wasn't anything really to write about. Mom was also telling me that she thought it was the prettiest night of the year because of the moon. Sometimes the pictures just don't turn out the way we want them. Dinner was baked chicken with a baked potato and a salad. I also overindulged in the sugar free cookies. Today is a new day for new stuff to happen. The final debate between Obama and McCain occurs tonight. I will hear more stuff about Casey Anthony being charged for first degree murder of her daughter Cay lee. Dancing with the Stars is over this week and Rocco the Chef was the one to leave. Cloris Leachman was spared this time around. As the show was ending, Rocco got one of the judges named Bruno to show him how to shake his hips.

Tuesday is rough around the edges

I had just purchased a compact disc of Pagliacci sung by Andrea Bocelli as the lead singer. I also have the two other versions with Placio Domingo and Luciana Pavarotti. The plot is about a man who kills his wife for cheating on him. He dresses in a clown's outfit and sings a song of passionate betrayal where at the end he breaks down crying. Pagliacci is such a beautiful opera about such a tragic situation. In real life if you kill someone, it is jail time or even death row if you are found guilty in a court of law. However, I am pretty sure this doesn't enter the minds of the opera audience watching this crime of passion. Back in the world of reality, yesterday was a fun trip where mom and I got our teeth cleaned and we got to visit an close friend named Dee. We had lunch at Dee at her house and chatted over political ideas. Mom and I left her house hoping to see her again sometime in the future. The day seemed to be pretty successful in our quest to get things done. Today, mom does her volunteer work at the Democratic Headquarters. I stay home and clean . I will probably make a quick trip to CVS to pick up some items, but I would return home in record time.

Monday's adventures begin

I got a picture today of a guy carrying a surfboard. Here was another person's picture I took after eating at Chase's On The Beach Restaurant. Mom made some really good ribs. The sauce was tangy and stuck to the ribs. It almost reminded me of the apricot sauce which is available at Smokey Bones. At least it was when I use to visit for lunch. Today, mom and I will get our teeth cleaned in Orlando. We will also meet a friend of ours for lunch at her house before going to get our teeth cleaned. She plans to bring us sandwiches from Beefy Kings. I forgot one cool aspect of Chase's restrooms. The guys are known as Dudes and have a surfer wave sign with Dudes on it hanging over the door. The girls have the sign Babes hanging over their door. I did have kind of cabin fever yesterday, because it rained on and off all day long. I stayed home and didn't travel anywhere. Today will makeup for staying in. The Sunday movies also were not too good on television. The last Political Debate between Obama and McCain doesn't come until Wednesday. Tonight will be Dancing with the Stars. I sure hope Cloris Leachman does alright. I was really pulling for her last week when the show let everyone stay. They only do this when someone withdraws from the competition. Misty, the person who withdrew will be out six months due to an ankle injury at practice. Misty was an athlete and the judges liked her dancing. Also, the Grand Jury meets in Orlando on Tuesday to discuss the Casey Anthony case to see if there is enough evidence to send her to trial for the murder of her daughter Caylee. Caylee's body was never recovered. There is body fluid samples and hair samples of Caylee according to the testing facility in Tennessee found in the trunk of Casey's car. I don't know if there is enough evidence to make a case in Court, but after the Grand Jury's investigation the result will be in the news.

What is the weather up to now?

One part of the day the sun is trying to come out, so I hang up a load of clothes on the clothes line. The next part of the day there is a big dark storm. I rush out to the clothes line to take the clothes in. I quickly grabbed them unfolded and toss the clothes into the basket. I figured I could save time and fold them indoors. Once inside the house with the clothes basket the sun starts coming out and the rain clouds go away.

This is a view of people traffic on the beach from the back of Chases on the Beach. The restaurant was a fun time for me. I did enjoy getting out and having someone else cook. Plus, no dishes to clean after eating lunch. Mom and I go into Orlando tomorrow to have our teeth cleaned. We also get to meet a friend for lunch. Finding a lunch spot should be a interesting challenge.

Lunch at Chases on the Beach

Yesterday was sunny enough for mom and I to go eat at Chases on the Beach. It did rain while we were eating, but I think we both had a good time getting out and seeing the social life. There were a couple of ladies sitting at a table across from mom and I who had their nails well groomed. One lady had a rich dark red nail polish. Neither lady looked like they would work outdoors. There were retired trending people whom you would think would go on boat cruises often. There were large young families who looked like Disney tourist. It took a while for the food to arrive. However it did so and I enjoyed every bite. Mom had a vegetable wrap which she didn't think was so good. She did not like the dough cover that was slightly burned. The vegetable were not cooked well enough. She deemed them at the raw stage. I thought it was kind of with it , but I wouldn't order this myself. I liked my Wahu fish on a kaiser roll. The Wahu was fried in a nice golden bread coding. It had onion slices and tomato slices and a tarter sauce topping. I borrowed some of mom's raw vegetables and placed it on my sandwich. The waiter was young and real helpful. He tried to get us everything we would want during the meal. We left him a nice tip. He tried to take a picture of mom and I, but it didn't turn out good so I got rid of it. I did get some good ocean shots from the back of the building.

Views from home

This is a picture taken from the back door of my porch on the side of the house. It kind of lets you know how stormy the weather was. There were lots of lighting and the sky did lighten up around sunset. The weather towards the sea had turned real black and the sky was a greenish yellow with some sunlight and shades of pink towards the sunset. I wished I could have gone out and experience the changes in the sky, but I did not want to mess with the lightening. There was a tornado warning up in Daytona moving towards Flaglier County. The TV news people had pictures of lightening cracking and power poles sparking. They showed pounding rain and then they said the weather was moving out over the sea. They also said there would be a repeat performance for this weekend. I saw the story on the TV news about the dolphin who jumped in the boat with some boaters in New Smyrna. The boaters were slightly ruffed up, but not seriously damaged. The dolphin slid back into the water and disappeared. Mom had mostly financial news on which I didn't find too interesting. I know this is important, but I would have liked some entertainment. I missed the series where the guy goes back in time to 1973. I thought the show had some good prospects at least for a short time. I also have been getting into the old movies on Turner Classic Movies. I saw an old Katherine Hepburn movie either yesterday or the day before where she is playing multiple characters, but in love with one guy. She tries to over impress this guy and he soon finds out she is just one person who loves him. He turns out to love her and they live happily ever after. I also saw a old Judy Garland which was kind of similar and she lives happily ever after. This is the dream ever girl use to have when watch old movies. I am not hearing the summer che che che anymore. I see the hedge in the backyard full of burned orange flowers that are called CapeFear Honey Suckle. I did buy me a $1.07 pair of fish color shorts at the resale shop called the Pink Door. This was the big bargin of the day.

A view on Casey

" Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive" famous quote. It applies to Casey Anthony who is in a heap of trouble and is barely treading water. Casey's fraud charges would keep her in jail for 65 years. The new video showing Casey buying clothing items and food with the stolen checks from her former friend will blow any chance of her request to hunt for her missing daughter. This video emerges after the news story of Casey's homicide charges coming before a Grand Jury next week. No one has ever recovered Casey's daughter Cay lee's body from where it might be located. It seems virtually impossible for Casey to get a fair trial in Orange County or anyplace near Orange County. This story has been featured on The Nancy Grace Show and The Dr. Phil Show. Her trial would have to be moved to either a place in the Panhandle like Pensacola or way down South passed Miami towards the Keys to stand a chance of a pure uncorrupted jury. It blows my mind how Casey could lack such emotion concerning the disappearance of her daughter. How do you hold on to your composer when you don't know if your daughter is alive or not? The audio from her former boyfriend where Casey refers to her daughter as " do you want me to bring the little snot nose" does not help her defense. It shows Cay lee on the low important scale of Casey's life. I also wonder how the parents of Casey could hold their composer together. Why would they not be demanding on Casey to explain everything she knows on what happened to Cay lee? The man hours the Orange County Sheriff's department has placed towards this case. Also, the man hours of the volunteers to look for Cay lee's remains are placing a strain on everyone involved. I don't know if Cay lee will ever be recovered, but this is some kind of case made for either a TV or Screen movie.

Stuff on TV in the middle of the week

I did enjoy the results show of Dancing with the Stars last night. I was glad Misty made it through the surgery alright. I was glad Cloris Leachman wasn't sent packing as the lowest score by the judges. The audience including me pulled her from the fryer. Speaking of fryer, the Chef Rocco would have been sent home if it weren't for Misty pulling out of the show because of her injuries. Hopefully everyone will work twice as hard next week to make a better performance. After the Dance with the Stars show, the second debate between Obama and McCain started. It was like two roosters sparing off against each other until the moderator told them to stop fighting. I came into the debate with views which I had already made, but I left the debate feeling the same way. I am sure others held true to their Candidate. What I didn't like were all the analysis after the debate was over. I grew tired of the anchor people reviewing the same material over and over. I did not get to see the scandal show on 20/20. It involved Christy Brinkley's ex husband and why he cheated on her. Sometimes I just love juicy gossip. I guess this is why I can tolerate the Celebrity stories on "Inside Edition." This is a picture of my mom and my sister when she came over and spent the night at our house. They liked going to the beach. The weather isn't cool outdoors. It is still warm and muggy. However, the air conditioning unit works fine. The coffee is good this morning and my book renewal is OK. I don't have to return my two books until later in the month.

TV was entertaining

The burned orangery red flowers are in bloom along the hedge dividing the house mom and I live in to Pete our next door neighbor. We also have deep red hibiscus in the front yard and on the side of the house outside the screened in porch. The weather has turned warm and muggy again. The weather at my sister's place in Williston wasn't as cool as I expected it. Today my sister has her two friends come Diane and Jean. She plans to have lunch with them at The Ivy House located in the center of Williston close to the post office. The Ivy House has real good Southern cooking. I don't ever remember having a bad meal there. I guess the Political debates are on tonight after the result show from Dancing with the Stars. I called in several times and placed a vote for Cloris Leachman. She was ranked the lowest score by their judges. I figured I would help as much as I could by voting. I actually thought she deserved higher than a 16 , because she was so entertaining. When her wig fell off during the dance, I just laughed so hard. It was like Cinderella loosing a shoe while dancing with the Prince. She may get voted off tonight, but I applaud her effort for trying. I tried to reward it with my call in vote.

It is nice to be back home

I kind of missed the comfortable house at the beach with my cozy couch. I even like my TV with the hard to work remote control. There are certain things I appreciate better when I go on a trip. I guess these are a few for now. I also like having crushed ice in the door. Glendon my sister does not have this feature with her refrigerator. She still has ice trays in her freezer. However, she bought an extra freezer in her garage which we don't have at the beach. We also don't have a garage. We have a carport. We have crabs and she does not. We have pelicans and she does not . She gets about six fresh eggs a day and we have to buy store eggs when we don't bring her eggs home with us. She doesn't have my strong coffee making skills and I am making strong coffee here in my peculator from Target. I tried uploading a picture and it is taking a long time to appear on the blog site. My sister has DSL which makes things move faster. I also like the feature you can download or upload and walk away without it going offline. I would get so frustrated because I would just walk away for a minute or two and I would be disconnected from what I was working on. I just changed pictures thinking this may cut down on the time. Today is garbage day. The garbage people come by fairly early and they pick up the bag, I leave on the curb. I don't know what is on television tonight, but I hope it is something good.

What a zoo !

I got to collect eggs yesterday. I fed the chickens and the turkey. I also fed Gator and Velvet. This is a picture of Velvet and my sister Glendon together in the pasture. Velvet is learning to walk along with Glendon wearing a halter and being pulled with a lead rope. Glendon likes Velvet's sweet personality. She is very easy tempered with Glendon and with Gator. Both Gator and Velvet get along well together. They both share a feed bucket when it is time to eat. I find this rare among horses because the horses I have seen fight for their food. Glendon is enjoying them on her time away from her job. When Glendon goes to work she stays busy feeding horses and cleaning stalls. She washes water tubs and gives the horses hay. She will be doing this type of stuff when the cows come which will be soon. The cows are not ugly towards her, but she is intimidated by the size of their heads and bodies. I think she much prefer the horses. Mom and I did go to the Williston Peanut festival. Mom bought four jars of Williston peanut butter made with Williston peanuts. Mom saw Ms. Williston which was a young blond girl dressed all in green. Mom also got some unsalted peanuts which I have already devoured some of it. I bought a blanket with sea creatures for 20 bucks and mom bought a home made purse for five bucks. I ate some fried green tomatoes which had a deep bread coding with plenty of heart clogging oil. The tomatoes were to be dipped in a blue cheese dressing. I enjoyed some of it, but left alot of the breading. Mom bought me some five dollar earrings. They were home made and mainly wires that stuck through the ear piercing holes I have in my ears. I forgot to bring my standard fake pearl earrings which I mostly wear during the day. I also forgot to bring Glendon's jar of honey which I will have to remember for next time. The rooster just started crowing around four thirty in the morning. I am an early riser. It helps to have a cup of coffee to drink.The caffeine stimulates my brain. This was the last night to see the stars crisply gleaming in the sky. This is better than a planetarium. I broke up a rooster fight while I was here. One rooster is named Golden boy and the other rooster is named Feather duster. Golden boy had Feather duster trapped inside the open grill outside in a corner. I had kind of thought Feather duster was done for, because his head was hidden away. I chased Golden boy away and Feather duster soon emerged from the corner trying to get away from me. I grabbed Feather duster by the legs and he squawked like a chicken in distressed. I picked him up and his legs were shaking. His comb was a little bloody from the chicken fight and he kepted trying to shake his head. The blood was dripping from his comb which kind of bothered him. However, I think his ego was damaged more than anything. I guess roosters are instinctively known to fight to the death. Feather duster did try to eat my finger a couple of times. I did toss Feather duster back in the pen with the other hens. His ego soon made a almost perfect recovery. Golden boy tries to impress the hens outside the fence and Feather duster does this inside the fence. Golden boy sleeps in the tree outside in back of the tack room area. I have been loved by both of Glendon's dogs. One is named Solder and the other is named Morgan. They both like people very much. Glendon's three cats all have unique personalities. Mink is the female and cries all the time. One is totally black and Glendon calls him Midnight Cowboy. The other is Alley Cat which is her favorite. Alley Cat gets house privileges and sleeps on Glendon's bed all day long. He gets let out of the house when Glendon gets home from work. Mom and I pack up today and head for the beach. Glendon's friend Diane will take care of feeding the baby horses. I will just try to get some last minute camera shots before leaving for the beach.

Saturday in Williston

Saturday is a busy morning with the rooster crowing and my sister Glendon getting ready for work. She fixed a pot of oatmeal which I haven't ate yet. This is a picture of Gator. He has nice strides and Velvet has beautiful gates as well. Glendon finished her oatmeal and is getting ready for a long hard day at work. She stated that next week the cows come in. She has to teach them where to eat. She says they finally learn it by the time they are ready to leave the Vet's school. Last night, I got locked out of the front door of the house. I went out to investigate what I thought was a hen squawking. I didn't see any hen and when I went to try the front door it was locked. I walked with my bare feet onto the asphalt road in front of the walkway outside the front door. I descended into a total black darkness which I could not see stars or any traces of light. The dogs started barking at me and her dog Morgan the lab sort of guided me back where I could see the stars in the night sky. The stars were so crisp looking. There was a plane with a red light flashing. I could pick it out in the sky with no trouble. Glendon left for work and so the day's adventure will soon begin.

Friday comes too soon

I picked this picture because of the different colors. This looks like my sister's kitchen table with ripening tomatoes and a green bell pepper. There is a green Lateran and a black flashlight. I am just assuming it maybe sometime in the fall. Mainly those two items didn't come out unless there was a hurricane. Speaking of hurricanes, this is the last year to use our little hand held TV sets which cost like forty dollars each. I got one for mom and I as well as my sister. They haven't come out with a high definition version yet, but I heard this version is on the way. The two new little horses Gator and Velvet are very sweet in personality. I like Gator's Winnie cry. He sounds like a little distant creator like a squirrel making a funny noise. He is quite expressive for a male horse. He lets you know how he feels. Velvet is the leader of the pack. She still has a bit of runny nose. Glendon wants them in top shape so they can meet Tumbleweed or Rosie. The baby horses long for a mother figure which either Tumbleweed or Rosie could fit well. Glendon's riding student Mark came out and rode Rosie. He does quite well for a beginner. It helps to have a liking for riding horses which he does. Glendon's alarm clock just sounded off. It has an annoying cry. I like mine so much better because mine sounds like crickets chirping.

Still waiting for cool air

This brings back a few memories. I think the picture was taken by my former lunch buddy Lillian. I haven't heard from her since she returned from Delaware. This is a picture of mom and I before going to see "Phantom of the Opera" playing at the Bob Carr. I even forgot what year this picture was taken. I remember I had been flayed off from a State of Florida job and I had a fun opportunity to sing for a pair of tickets to see the show. It was a challenge to sing something from Phantom of the Opera for thirty seconds in front of a TV box set up at the mall. My name was called by Channel Six and the tickets were mine. Mom and I stayed at a motel in Orlando overnight. Lillian came and joined us for a short time before the show. I enjoyed the show really well. Speaking of well, mom and I made it to Glendon's place ok and the animals look to be in fine shape. Glendon is doing good. I got up too early so the coffee is not made yet. I am waiting for the real cool air to arrive which I haven't encountered yet.

I am so looking forward to cooler weather. I hope my sister's place will be as cool as I imagine. I am looking forward to seeing her animals like the turkey featured in the picture. This turkey is usually right under my sister's feet. He likes to keep my sister company when she travels in the yard. I guess the word is travel North. Cooler weather tends to come from this direction. I even heard on the news there may be changing of the leaves. I haven't seen real changing of the leaves in years. I would have to recall being in Indiana,Tennessee and maybe Kentucky for real difference in leaf color. I like the weather to be cool enough to see your breath when you blow out. I feel a crisp feeling of freshness which makes the day enjoyable for me. I am ready for a change for a while and then I will be ready to come back to the beach to enjoy what New Smyrna Beach has to offer.