Faded memories

With all the cold weather up North, I am enjoying the cooler weather here in Florida. I never spent a winter up North or really got to see snow in person. I have been up North in the fall when the weather would be some what cooler and the leaves had changed to brown and the colors on the leaves were starting to emerge. I was still at the stage of life where I was asking myself what I wanted to be in the future. I thought about being a teacher right after the show "The Bionic Woman" was playing on television. I was thinking astronaut when "Lost in Space" was playing on television. I never thought cowboy during the show "Bonanza." I remember the cooler walks on the hilly roads of Upland, Indiana. I remember walking near a middle school or Junior High, but I don't remember where it was. I remember the dirt roads around my Granddad's place in Buffalo, Indiana. The corn grew so tall, the air was so crispy, the blueberries were five times the size you see in the frozen section of the Publix today. I remember how squishy the earthworms were on my fingers when I would use them as bait on my fishing line. I remember catching the little sunfish for sport verses frying them up for dinner. I think we did cook the fish up a couple of times, but not that often. I remember at my Granddad's place the shower had plastic stall frame. This was the same way at my mom's Uncle Forrest Geyer's place in Logansport, Indiana. He was the great Uncle to Glendon (my sister) and I, but we still called him Uncle Forrest. He liked to be called Unk for short. The stories Uncle Forrest would tell about his home brewing and his buddy Shotgun were interesting to hear. Uncle Forrest was always so generous with giving mom and I a place to stay and food to eat with baths and washing machine. When Uncle Forrest got up he was kind of quiet and his eyes kind of buldged. His pants and shirt were soft looking. I did not have to touch his clothes to know his clothes were soft to the feel. He turned more talkative after drinking his coffee. He was generous with taking us places where we wanted to go . Uncle Forrest was a lifeline when we would come up to visit on the train and the train would drop mom and I in a neighboring town in the middle of the night. He didn't mind the time. He was there to take us back to his home which became our home while we stayed there. I wasn't established in the coffee market, so I drank drinks like Postum, Hot chocolate, malted milk, and eggnog. These are just a few memories that are a source of good feelings for me.

It's raining and the neighbor is running the sprinkler

I am up very early in the morning and there is a soft beat of rain outside. The neighbor across the street has his sprinkler system running. I think it must me his automatic timer system. The neighbor across the street works as a Postal employee in Brevard and also works in the National Guard. He is married and has two daughters. Last Halloween his wife dressed up as Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz." Mom and I barely say hello much less anything else to this family. We hardly see them. They are pretty much on the go most all the time. My neighbor Laurel has friends from up North staying with her. One of her friends was suppose to have an operation. I don't know what it was for, but I hope it turned out well for her. Laurel 's son Bruce usually takes her to do volunteer work at the local hospital. She also goes for her exercise class there. Pauline, another neighbor, is a fun person who is always active with her church. She has her daughter Susan staying with her for a time. Susan lives in South Carolina and was here to have lasik eye surgery. I think it went well for Susan. She hasn't returned yet to South Carolina, but I believe she will when she is ready. My two Italian neighbor's down the street display the nicest Christmas decorations. One left the decorations up through little Christmas. One of the Italian family has a head of household named Angelo. He designed his brick driveway and the layout of the plant life and a small grotto with a small statue of Mary. Our neighbor Gus is confined to a motorized wheelchair. He is paralyzed from the neck down. He can maneuver with hand slightly the controls on the wheelchair. He buys and sells old cars and bicycles. He is very generous around Christmas time. He leaves a bag of Grapefruit and a nice card with us. We try to fix something nice for him in return. The other end of the street has Larry and Ellen. Larry has Cancer in the most dangerous places. He has endured intense Chemotherapy and Ellen has endured Larry's emotional moods. There is a girl from New York who goes walking everyday. I don't know her name, but she has long black hair. Occasionally her husband will walk with her. Next door to her is Christine with the kids. She occasionally will spend time with Ellen. Across the street is a guy with two dogs who offered to help mom out whenever she needed help. There is also my neighbor Pete who does his own table saw stuff next door and on the other side is Carol who occasionally has her daughter and friends over for a visit. This is life of 18Th. Avenue in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

What's next?

Do you remember the accident where the three astronauts were killed as a result of a fire in the capsule? The Internet says this occurred the day before the Challenger January 27, 1967. I don't remember how, but somehow I got involved in reading about the Chinese sending their version of Astronauts into space. What would the Mercury 7 Astronauts think about Chinese in space? They have sent their Astronauts into space and have done space walks. They have brought them home successfully. They have tested Chickens and eggs in space. They have even taken Chinese food into space. I guess this gives new meaning to Chinese takeout. The Chinese want their own space station to orbit the earth. They also want a moon base and plan to send their version of Astronauts two years before we do back to the moon. Remember when the US couldn't wait to beat the Russians into space? Remember the movie "The Right Stuff?" I remember what a spectacular job the floor show was during The Olympics. The Chinese want bigger and better than what we can provide. Our economy needs a job boost. I wait to see if their will be a NASA in our future and how it survives job loss.

Where were you when Challenger exploded 23 years ago?

Remembering back to January 28, 1986 was a very cold day. I had missed the explosion. I heard about the news when my mom called to tell me about the accident. I flipped on the television and spent the day in disbelief. I was kind of a follower of who the astronauts were at this time. I was a small fan of Dr. Judy Resnik because she followed in Dr. Sally Ride's footsteps with other missions on the space shuttle. I couldn't believe she was one of the seven astronauts destroyed in the explosion. Sharon Christa McCauliffe who was the first teacher in space. How could this happen to her? She was the mother of a young girl and boy at the time. I figure they must be in their early thirties by now and maybe married. Christa's husband remarried a teacher. Christa's parents may not even be living now. This may be the same way regarding Gregory Jarvis. His parents were so active after the accident in getting learning centers for kids started and handing out fliers to thank people who remembered their son. They may not be alive. Dick Scobee who was the commander of the Challenger. His wife remarried and is still active in the Challenger learning center for kids. I am kind of in disbelief from what I saw from a simple hard hat. I was looking up stuff relating to the Challenger on the internet when I ran across someone who claimed to be close to the crew of the Challenger seven astronauts. This person was selling the hard hat which the commander Dick Scobee wore around NASA when training for his shuttle flight. This person was asking 3, 500 dollars for a piece of history. I could see the emptiness under the hard hat sitting on display. It looked like it was waiting for Scobee to return. This is just an object, but the memories connected shouldn't even have a price tag. If this person really wanted to honor the memory of the astronauts, the hard hat would have been donated to a museum so people can reflect back on a time which needed to bring about change in the way launches are conducted. Who out in the general public would even think about an O-ring much less understand what the purpose was in holding the shuttle together? How important the cold weather played on the expansion and the breakage of the O-ring. How NASA managers can cloud good judgement when rushing to launch a shuttle when the conditions weren't right. My former lunch buddy said she cried for the fallen astronauts. She along with many others felt a closeness to the loss. I moved on except around this time of year when I hold a small remembrance for peoples dreams with the First Teacher in Space. It was suppose to be a grand event. The teacher was replaced by the first runner up many years later. Barbara McNair was the First Instructor in space who moved beyond her class of children many years ago. I didn't even get to see her instructing students on what she did at all. It was like they rushed her into space at the last minute. She also turned very ill when the shuttle landed. She wasn't use to the flight. I hope the families of the remaining astronaunts are living full lives. The Columbia tragedy followed many years later with a whole new set of problems to work out. The shuttle program is going to be retired in 2010 and be replaced in five years by a capsule program called "The Orion." The shutttle holds a lot of memories in the space program. I hope the new ones created by "The Orion" are pleasant successes and not horrible failures.

We celebrated the Chinese New Year

Mom and I had our Chinese takeout yesterday. I had Chicken lo mein and I also bought Moo Goo Gi Pan lunch specials which included wonton soup. I also bought a couple of spring rolls. Mom had a lot of Moo Goo Gi Pan leftovers, but I ate up the Chicken lo mein. We had other leftovers from the frig. last night. Mainly it was leftover pork,onion and cheese on crackers. I got a little ambitious yesterday and cut away some dead brush which had been affected by the last freeze. I heard more cold weather is coming so I will try and hold off on more cutting back until I see what plant life doesn't make it. Mom and I went under the South bridge yesterday towards the evening. I got some evening pictures of birds around the bridge. They mostly were birds other than pelicans. I did get a few pictures of a brown pelican. Under the South Bridge, there was sunlight from the sunset. However, there was not a clear picture of the sunset. The sunset was blocked by buildings from the downtown area. Who was the best working boss you ever had and who was the worst? Why were they the best and the worst? If you had your work life to do over again would you chose the same boss? What are some of the traits you would expect a boss to posses? I am interested in what the other guy thinks? I would like to get some other opinions?

Happy Chinese New Year 2009

I couldn't find anything pictures of a Chinese restaurant to celebrate the new year, so the next best thing is the Italian restaurant close to the Chinese restaurant in Ocoee. This is Lillian I think counting money to pay the bill after lunch. I love this restaurant and First Choice Chinese which I miss the won ton soup and the chicken low mien. Plus I got a spring roll to go with the meal and most of the time I would end up with leftovers. I would give the leftovers to Lillian which she could eat later. I knew I couldn't keep the leftovers because I lived too far away and the food wouldn't keep fresh. All in the name of food, we seemed to explore the best eating places around where we worked. We knew where the mom and pop diners were located. What a treat and high point of the day. Lunch was a break from the work routine and a chance to get out a see a new world. I like the fortune cookies and almond cookies. Mom has agreed to Chinese take out, so we will do are part to support the Chinese New Year. The year of the Ox in 2009.

Sunday January 25 a week before the Images art show

The little green car is the latest fad to drive on the beach. I think it looks really cute. Lillian's latest adventure is her doing the invitations on her computer. I have no clue on what they will look like. The weather has warmed up a bit. I did notice the humidity has returned. The one thing I liked about the cold weather was it got rid of the humidity. The true Florida has returned. What do you think our rain chances are during the January, February, March season? Will we get anymore rain storms? Before I forget again, in answer to Lew's question about the houseboat it is still there partially submerged in water. I see the boat every time I cross the South Bridge. I am thinking maybe they are using it for a barrier reef. Something to grow barnacles and support fish life. I also have the thought what a waste of a good houseboat. Next weekend is the Images Art Show. This show is on the grand scale like the Winter Park Art Show. There are a lot of pictures and paintings to see and a hard time finding a place to park. It is also the weekend of the local high school spaghetti dinner for 5 bucks. I am looking forward to it.

The return of warmer weather at the beach

The plants have a home outside. The inside washing machine is clear of any plants sitting on top of the lid. Yesterday, people were walking on the beach. No person was swimming in the water. I thought I had heard the water temperature was in the fifties. This would be a little too cold for me. Mom had me bring the leftover popcorn and some bread for the seagulls to eat. They surrounded me with their squawking voices and flapping of the wings. The seagulls almost look like they would land on my head, if food was sitting there. I took a load of boat pictures with my camera. Many of this boat traveling across the Atlantic ocean. The water looks more like Lake Atlantic because the water is so calm. Speaking about rough waters, I think it to be quite daring of our new President to close Guantanamo Bay. He faces a lot of opposition from the Republicans. I understand their concerns, but I hope the President is successful. I would like to see" Mall Cop" playing at the movies. There is an early 1:05 showing in the afternoon. I hope I can make it. If not, there will be another day.

Friday the start of a grocery shopping weekend

This is a pleasant picture along the North Bridge of New Smyrna Beach at Sunset. Today, I am hoping to get the plants back outside to soak up the heat. I also want to run a load of clothes to be placed on the clothes line to dry. Mom has to have blood test done this morning. I don't have to get mine until the middle and the end of February. I have blood drawn for the blood doctor and my regular doctor. They both get their supplies from my left arm. It gives blood better than my right arm. I like shopping at Publix better than Winn Dixie. The aisles look more interesting at Publix and I grow tired looking for items in the aisles at Winn Dixie. I was fussing because I thought the wine was on the last aisle where the yogurt and butter were located. It turned out the wine was on the first aisle straight past the vegetables at Winn Dixie. Mom goes to the farmer's market on Saturday. She tries to get the freshing lettuce and other cooking vegetables for us to eat for dinner. She gets a better price value there than in the stores.

Chinese New Year comes on Monday

My mom's friend Raymond told mom that the Chinese New Year comes on Monday. This is also a message directed at Lew. First Choice in Ocoee, Florida has given free Chinese New Year calendars away in the past, so if you want a free New Year's calendar, Chinese food should be your cuisine on Monday. There are a couple of Chinese restaurants in New Smyrna Beach. The one closest to me is a take out, but they don't give away free calendars. The other one is a buffet which is OK, but not outstanding. Next weekend will be the five dollar spaghetti meal either for lunch or dinner served between 12 in the afternoon and 6 in the evening at the local High School. They also have take out which we got one year. I thought it was pretty good. I hope to at least get take out this year. This morning is trash day and the weather should be below freezing. This means super cold weather. I finished my cup of coffee too early. I hope we didn't suffer too much damage with the plants, but we will find out the results later in the day. It is nice to be in a warm house with the central heat blowing. Last night, I was entertained by a couple of episodes of "Becker." I love the show "Becker" because Ted Danson is so earthy in his attitudes. He is like the Archie Bunker of the doctor world. I also like the show "Mash" when I can see it. The show "Scrubs" is a little too outrageous for me. The show "House " is good, but too serious. I still have last year's Chinese calendar hanging on the wall. There were pandas on it. I wonder if this year there will be ox on the new calendar?

The day after the ceremony

I feel like someone let the air out of the tire. The built up of the swearing in ceremony and the excitement of seeing the moving trucks and Bush leave on the helicopter and the plane. Life didn't seem much sweeter. I was waving back to Bush as he was climbing aboard the helicopter waving at the people. I was bobbing up and down as I saw the white moving trucks lined up on the side of the White House. I felt a great deal of satisfaction to see Obama take the Oath of Office and Bush to be called" a private citizen." Giving Bush a little credit, I do have to say both him and Laura looked pretty good for their final day in Washington. I was surprised to see the Bush daughters at the swearing in ceremony. I thought the Carters Jimmy and Roselyn both looked good. Jimmy seemed to have an extra spring in his step. I didn't realize the reporter said Jimmy and Roselyn snubbed the Clintons. They showed the Carters walking by the Clintons without saying" Hello." Aretha Franklin looked good with her big fancy bow hat. She sung pretty good. The senior Bush seemed to hobble in on a walking stick. Mom didn't think he looked too good. He didn't seem healthy or energetic like we both remember him. His wife Barbara was starting to look more like her old self again. Barack was dressed in a nice simple suit. His wife Michelle wore a nice gold looking dress with green gloves. Barack had a serious tone walking down the hallway leading up to the point where he is introduced out into the public. The only time he sort of cut up was when the swearing in ceremony was kind of flubbed, but still came through without any major glitches. It was kind of nice to see something done with a tone of innocents. Sometimes perfection can be boring. This swearing in ceremony will have some nice memories for the Obama family. The kids got to play games later in the evening and watch videos. Mom and Dad watched a parade in their honor and danced the night away traveling to ten different balls. Barack wore a tuxedo and Michelle wore a one strap evening gown in a off white color. Both mom and I didn't think the dress was flattering to Michelle. I noticed at the swearing in ceremony Michelle sat behind Barack. I know he had to get up be sworn in, but I would think she would want to sit beside him and not behind him. I wonder why this was? The picture is a brown pelican on the rocks under the South bridge taken a while back. This morning is pretty quiet inside the kitchen area. My key lime tree is enjoying the in door warmth of the central heat. I looked at the stars last night and the sky was crystal clear. The stars were bright shiny and sparkling in the dark sky. The night before was kind of cloudy and I did see one short shooting star breeze through part of the sky and disappear. I forgot to mention Dick Cheney who came in to the swearing in ceremony in a wheel chair. He strained his back and lower half lifting moving boxes to go home with him to Virgina. He left the White House after the ceremony in a car verses a helicoptor. What a memorable start to a new year.

All My EX's live in Texas

Maybe we will get to see Bush leave this morning after the breakfast with Obamas or maybe we will not. I know when Obama takes the oath Bush is a private citizen. He is also a former President. There will be a sea full of people waiting to see it happen. I am looking forward to it also. The weatherman says cold weather for the next two nights. I brought my key lime in last night, so I will take it out when the sun starts warming up to the 50's and bring it back in when the sun is going down and the temperature starts dropping. We may not being eating chicken today, but I thought it was a good picture to look at. It kind of gives me the yearning for fried chicken. I talked with Lillian the bride to be and she is lining up local hotel rooms for her out of town guest to stay. She also said her future husband Aaron calls her"bridezillakins." I told her this was a sign of his affection for her. She also said that Aaron has planned her honeymoon to Nassau in the Bahamas. I told her to ride the horse and carriage when she is there. She still hasn't started on making her wedding dress yet. Time is ticking away and I hope she has everything ready when the big day comes.

The day before January 20th.

It feels like the day before the Super Bowl with all the celebration in Washington D.C. Mom and I will be watching the Swearing In Ceremony at noon tomorrow. I was wondering if having little hot dogs dipped in mustard and cheese was appropriate for a mini lunch. I was watching one of my all time favorite Cary Grant movies "Arsenic and Old Lace." Cary Grant has the knack for comedy. He plays the character Mortimer Brewster who is a newly wed to a very young pretty bride who keeps taunting him with whistles of "Here comes the bride." In one scene, Mortimer tells his new wife "for heaven's sake keep your shirt on." Mortimer encounters his evil brother Jonathan played by Boris Karloff. The makeup has Boris Karloff looking like Frankenstein on Diet drugs. Cary Grant's character of Mortimer triumphs over his evil brother Jonathan played by Boris Karloff. Everyone at the end of the movie lives happily ever after. This is my ideal ending for all movies.

Waiting for the coffee

The coffee pot is still perking. It looks kind of dark outside. The only outdoor trip yesterday was taking my neighbor to the beauty shop and picking her up. Plus a short visit to the local CVS pharmacy store. I watch CNN talk about the Obama train trip to Washington with Joe Biden. It was also suppose to be Michelle Obama's birthday. The news did show scenes where ordinary people would be lined along the train route holding Obama signs and waving as the train rolled passed. The news media said that Bush had already moved out of the White House and was spending his last weekend at Camp David. The final duty of his legacy was to hand over the keys to the White House once Obama takes the Oath of Office. Bush would fly to his new home in Dallas, Texas and Obama would take the role as current President of the United States of America. I placed my key lime tree back outside over night. The weather didn't seem to be at the freezing mark of 32 degrees, so I think the tree would be safe. It has some new blossoms which I would hate to loose. These pelicans in the picture were three of the four I saw the other day, while picture taking below the South Bridge of New Smyrna Beach.

I wonder how cold it is?

I forgot to ask my sister when I talked with her how cold it was in Williston. I brought my key lime tree in and covered up the old tomato plant and mom's crocus spuds. I am not sure if this pelican is diving for food or if he is being pulled under by a fishing line? I kind of think he is being pulled under by a fishing line. I think the white spot on top of the water is the top of the pelican's head. I did get a picture where the pelican's leg was wrapped in a fishing line. I also have another picture where only one wing is showing above the water. Somehow this pelican broke free. I don't know what the fishermen did to release the bird, but it was nice to see all four pelicans swimming together still hoping for a fish handout. The pelican wasn't hurt, but this picture clearly indicate stress on the bird. I am suppose to take my neighbor to the beauty shop later. I guess this will get me out of the house so I may pick up a few items before returning later to pick her up. The weatherman says a warm up after today. I will wait and see.

What made the news on Wednesday

This seems to be the first time the picture has come up on the screen so quickly. The picture is just some small waves taken in the evening. It is a peaceful looking picture. Speaking of peaceful, I slept through Bush's farewell address to the nation. I missed the final " My fellow Americans" statement. Mom said his speech had no content. He said nothing according to my mom. I did read he defended his record as President and wished the new guy good luck. I don't think he mentioned about the air rescue of the jet which went down in the Hudson River. This event seemed to overshadow all other events of the evening. The news media has been calling it a miracle how all the passengers were able to get out of the plane alive and in pretty good shape. The plane went down into the Hudson River where it was close to ferry boats and did not hit any other boat when it reached water. The pilot and the crew have been praised by city officials for their efforts in saving the passengers.

Caught up in Television World

I guess I feel like I am recruited as part of the audience for the reality shows on television. I am back to watch "The Bachelor" with Jason the single dad who was rejected the last time by The Greek "Dionna." This television show has the women all trying to steal his attention away from the other girl. There are little behind the scenes cat fights where women criticize each other. I also heard Jason is now engaged so this is a pre-recorded show and we have to watch the end show to see which girl he ends up asking to marry him. This is a little of the sunset I could take while looking for picture taking material on the North end of the beach. The water was pretty calm last night and there were only two surfers in the water. The rest of the people were either walking along the shoreline where the seagulls were all gathered in bunches or they were at the park entrance where I was trying to take some evening pictures. Last night I was watching the singing tryouts for "American Idol." Sometimes I just look at the words "American Idol" and think of the people clowning around there as " American Idiot. " It also seems in some cases the judges are very cruel to the contestants who can not sing on key. I don't know how real or not it is, but from what I can see it sounds like the singer is tone deaf. They can not hear the sound they make to tell if they are on key or not. They think they are singing on key and get real offended to be told they can not sing. I notice there is no piano at the tryouts so the singers can not test their voices against the piano. I think this would cut down on the number of tone deaf cases featured at the tryouts. If the contestant can match their voice up against the piano, then they could sing on key. Also, the older singers are excluded from the singing competion. I guess this is due to the outfit gearing the show to a younger crowd. Also, the older singer would not jazz up the song so badly. I feel "American Idol" wants a song jazzed up for their younger viewers so much it about kills the song from its orginal form. The more the singer yells on key the better the singer's ratings will be at the show's debut. Last season, the singers were stuck in the early 1970's genre. This was required singing which they were pretty out of touch with the style of music. The younger singers would want something more up to date and less looking back to this point in time. My beef with the show is they don't allow for different genres of singing such as Classical ,Country Western, Jazz, Technopop, Rap and BeBop. Songs are so diverse on the radio. I believe people listen to all different varieties of music.

Remembering the game of checkers

I use to think I was pretty good at checkers, but I always lost the game to my granddad and my dad. There was always someone who was better at playing checkers than me. Even my sister's former next door neighbor Skag use to beat me at checkers. I didn't enjoy loosing. I enjoyed winning. It felt so good to emerge on top as the winner. I liked the strategy of the game. The chance to plot out my moves against the other guy. I strive to get my man crowned king before the other guy. It was thrilling for me to capture the other guy in a double or triple jump. I would end up with two or three of the opponent's men. Now, I don't hardly play the game. The games I play are on the Internet. If I try checkers, it is against a beginner who half the time wants to talk and not play the game. I try to concentrate on the game and they quit on me. I play Holiday Express on Hipsoft. com. This game involves loading presents into a freight car and being timed in the process. I keep aiming for the next level where the time changes and the presents get more difficult to place. I see the snow storms up North and I am grateful to be in Florida. Our family friend Joe is in Minnesota where it is 19 below. I use to think a temperature that cold could only be in Alaska. I see why the snowbirds flock South for the Winter. I imagine the melting snow would be one slushy mess when the temperature finally does warm up. I covered my little keylime tree last night. I know it didn't reach freezing yet, but later in the week may be different.

Counting Down

Only a week away until there is a new President. Obama will be the 44 Th. President and Bush will be heading back to Dallas as a former President and private citizen. I was watching Bush's final press conference where he did not even acknowledge Helen Thomas who was sitting in the front row seat like she had done with Presidents dating back to Ronald Reagan. I did notice also how she hung her head as if she did not want to be noticed. This was so out of line with her character. In the past, she had been considered like the Grand Lady of the ball. It seemed like Ronald Reagan always took questions from Helen Thomas. The one major statement I took issue with was when Bush said" I came in with a recession and I'm leaving with one." When Bush took office the first time this country had a financial surplus. The surplus got used up and we are in so much debt. Unemployment seems to be on the rise and so are the job cuts. I am counting the days until next Tuesday. I am hoping for new and positive changes ahead. A vitamin jingle: Lutein is a routine, Vitamin D is not easy to swallow for me, I need a little coffee and honey so it doesn't taste so bone dry and funny, Beta Carotene taste like fish oil with red dye dripping from my lips, It won't be a scary scene if I take some water sips. The dye will be gone and I will go on taking vitamins every day. Routine is cool, but I am not a fool. This won't take my ailments away.

Is it cool outside?

I didn't get a picture of the moon this time. My friend Dee asked if I saw the moon on the water which I did not. The clouds were in last night and they would not let the moon come out and shine in full bloom. I could see it trying to slip in through the layers of clouds, but it wouldn't quite get there. I opened my bathroom window to see if the air had turned cooler, but the mosquitoes all swarmed towards the screen. As a result, I closed the bathroom window so they couldn't slip through the screen into the house. I made a nice spinach casserole. I pre-cooked some fresh spinach from Publix. I lined the bottom of a casserole dish with the fried onion bits you buy in the store. I placed the cooked spinach in and topped it with a layer of mushroom soup. I added some fresh cooked in butter mushrooms on the stove. I added some cut up slices of American cheddar cheese. I also put in a touch of Amish cheese and Parmesan cheese. I topped it with another layer of fried onion bits. I think the brand is French's. I did notice they had a cheese brand which I haven't tried. I placed the lid on the casserole and cooked it in the oven for twenty minutes. It turns out real rich and good. This is a picture of a girl on the ladder at the life guard station. I took the picture from a distance. I believe she was just getting a little daring.

Day of distraction

I got involved in Lillian's Bucket list forward from Jerry Masters. I responded with my cute little saying about food and love of family. Nice stuff. I consider the Bucket List is more like the movie Jack Nicholson starred in. This bucket list was about breaking the rules when you have no way out. The last rule breaker's request. I guess for something like that the top of the rule breaker chart for me would be a freedom of requestig any sugary item I desired to consume. Anything you would do before kicking the bucket. The time just seemed to fly by and I had missed most of the time to talk with my sister before she had to go to work. She leaves pretty early in the mornings on the weekends for her weekend job. Today is the celebration at the stadium to welcome back the Gator Football Players. I am sure I will see it on the news tonight. I am also looking forward to the cooler weather.

Review of Gran Torino

The blue sky beckoned but I chose the darkened theatre for a matinee showing of Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. I wasn't sure what to expect except Clint in a real guy role. In this movie he was the tough guy in the purest of forms. I was in a movie room full of lady Seniors, who must also enjoy real guys. Clint would snarl and you knew he was all business. His family in the movie was all wrapped up in their own little world. Clint didn't quite fit into their world. The movie opens at a funeral of his wife and the meal afterwards at his home with all his selfish kids and grandkids. He wanted them to go home and leave him alone. They were all too ready to leave after the funeral. Clint discovers at the funeral his next door neighbors, a Korean family that had moved in with a grandmother he couldn't stand and Tao the boy who couldn't defend himself. Clint nicknamed Tao "Toad." Toad's sister, Sue, won Clint's loyalty after he saved her from a black gang. Sue got Clint to come next door for a barbecue and learn to like Korean food. After Clint saved Tao from a Korean gang which involved Tao's cousin everyone Asian in the community brought gifts to his door. Flowers, chicken and otherAsian cooked meals piled up to be tossed out. The second time they came after he saved Sue and used Tao to fix the neighbor's houses, Clint let the local Koreans bring food into his kitchen. The Korean gang ended Tao's job in construction which Clint had helped him get. They also took advantage of Sue. This got Clint to take action. He locked Tao in his basement to protect him. He called Sue to let Tao out. He gave his dog to the Grandmother next door. He went to the gang's house to have a showdown. The gang all had machine guns and Clint only had a lighter which he pulled out to light his cigarette. The gang shot Clint and he fell on the ground and died with blood dripping from his arm where he let go of his lighter. The police came and captured all the Korean gang and the funeral was held where Sue dressed up in a traditional Korean outfit to honor Clint whom she called Wally. At the reading of the will, Tao got his prize Gran Torino which he had tried to steal earlier. Wally(Clint) didn't want his family to inherit anything from him. The house was donated to the Catholic church. The next scene was Tao driving the Gran Torino with Clint[s dog riding in the passenger's seat. The end song Gran Torino was sung by Clint, clinching the mad events. He has a good voice for a night club act. All this wild mess was saved by Clint's character - tough and predictably heroic. It was actually worth the money to go see.

Victory Belongs to the Florida Gators

The score was 24 to 14 Gators won over the Oaklahoma Sooners

Taking Diabetes class

It was really pretty last night with the moon shining down like a flash light zooming in on my house and the yard around it. It was a little cool, but not too bad. The Christmas lights are all gone on our street and the feel of the street is somewhat different. I guess you would say quieter and subdue. I have been taking diabetes classes at our local hospital Bert Fish. Yesterday was my second time. It is kind of cool, like a secret society of people who meet on the third floor in the conference room. Yesterday we got a short film on TV by the American Diabetes Association on the basics "What is Diabetes?" The lady in the center of the story says "Who me?" "I feel fine." We had a question and answer session with a map set up to look like the game "Candy Land." Plus there was a multiple choice written quiz at the beginning which I got about 4 or 5 answers wrong. Things I thought might be the right answers weren't the right answers at all. They were something else. I carried along my test kit which I received during my first meeting which turned out I didn't need. I was given The One Touch mini in a lime green color. I was told I needed to get refills on test strips and what is called lancets. The lancets are the short needles used to draw blood from the finger to put on the test strips. The instant the test strip receives the blood a number reading appears on the One Touch Ultra Mini. I got called by CVS pharmacy saying" I need to call Blue Cross and Blue Shield because the insurance won't pick up any of the cost of the refills" and these are very expensive. I will try and do this today. Next Thursday we get to talk with the dietitian about what to eat and what not to eat.

I hope people watch the Gator game

Coffee is the great reviver when you had a ruff night sleeping. I went to bed so late last night. Plus, I didn't straighten out my bed linens before placing my pillows and blankets on so I had a very lumpy bed. This reminds me of the story about the Princess and the Pea. She complained about one little stone in her bed. I wonder how she would have reacted to a lumpy mattress? There was a story in yesterday's Channel 9 news cast about Organic verses non Organic. The news team was comparing the two items according to price and good health. It was brought out by the news media's expert that some vegetables and fruits are heavily dosed in chemicals. How come this isn't more tightly regulated by the government? What amount of chemicals is acceptable to the human body? Why are there not any class action suits filed against the companies which allow this to happen? Today is the big Gator game which is actually tonight at 8:14 p.m. I hope the Gators win the football game. I bought some organic peanuts to eat at the game. It seemed like good snack food. Although the peanuts are tiny, they do have a good flavor. Plus, they were only $1.99 which doesn't hurt my spending budget.

Views on fear

I have read my biggest fan Lew Dallas' e-mail and self proclaimed President of the Turkey talk e-blog website. He has earned the distinction of best writer and it is an honor to have him on board to give me feedback on his views. His latest e-mail talks about falling into a hole which he though was solid around the sides of the hole. The way he describes the story, I could feel the fear. He kept his wits about him and did not quit trying to get out of the hole. He finally was able to get out. I did have somewhat a similar situation where I fell into my sister's pool in the deep end at night. I wasn't filled with fear at the time it happened. I was more filled with instructions on what to do to get out of the situation. I yelled for help, but I knew no one would hear me. I also knew I had to swim for the side of the pool. I knew when I fell under the water, I had to swim up and break through the top to get air. I dog paddled to the side and took time to gather my strength. I was able to walk along the side of the pool to the shallow end and climb out completely soaked. I did feel the fear later after getting out realizing what a pickle I was facing. Also, like Lew who avoided the hole, I played it safe and avoided the pool area for awhile. It was FDR who said"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." In some situations this is easier than others. I would like to think the fear of would keep me from doing lots of stuff I should avoid. I guess it is how you view the situation.

Night Stage in New Smyrna Beach

I took out the garbage and saw the brightly lit star in the sky. I could hear the night crickets chirping away. They sounded like the string section of an orchestra. In the distance, I could hear a changing tune of the train running down the east coast track. The track was across the Inter coastal Waterway. I was wondering what kind of lifestyle the engineer must have running a train at night when it seems most everyone is at home tucked away for the night. Does he get to sleep during the day? Is the salary worth his time and effort to ride the rails at night? Is this a family man's job or does it take a special kind of person? Why don't you hear about any female train engineers? There are female commercial plane pilots, but this is rare. One argument to keep the train is that much can be moved across the states for one price. The freight train has been around for ages. The people train has had many changes over the years. The night is very peaceful outside. I am including an old photo taken on my birthday when I turned 40 years old. This is my former boss Charles and I the one time he came out here to visit. I was suprised and pleased. I hope he is doing well now.

Taking care of the flu

I saw on the news this evening Jerry Demings being sworn in as the new Sheriff of Orange County. His wife Val Demings who is the Orlando Police Chief looked proud of her husband The outgoing Sheriff Kevin Berry will either take a teaching job in Virginia or work overseas in Afghanistan. I hope Kevin decides to take the teaching job. It would be a bit safer. Mom went to the doctor's office to get some medicine for the flu. She had bad symptoms and felt miserable. Hopefully the medicine will make her feel better and she will get a good night sleep. While we were getting her prescription, I stopped at the Fountain breakfast and lunch food place and got a grilled cheese sandwich with french fries.The cook was singing songs from the 1950's along with the local radio station WSBB. I told him he had a nice voice and he thanked me. I also got served by Josh from Delaware. He will always stick in my mind because Lillian my former lunch buddy use to date a guy named Josh before she started dating her future husband Aaron. Lillian is also moving to Delaware after she gets married. Plus, she is taking her family with her to Delaware. They will be living close by so she can visit them often. She will be apartment hunting in February for her parents and Uncle. Josh gave very nice service as a food server, so I tipped him. The music at the doctor's office where mom went for her appointment was playing songs I was familiar with and could easily sing and rock away. The doctor I normally go to doesn't play any music in his lobby. I was talking with my Uncle from California and asked him "why do doctor's stay healthy working around sick patients?" Both my Uncle and I were puzzled, but my Uncle thought the doctor builds up an immunity to the sick virus. Mom made a big salad for dinner and I just had a small chocolate sugar free pudding for dessert. It was a nice way to round out the day.

Starting a new week

The Christmas lights are down at our house. The two Italian families still had their lights on last night. This is a picture of my former co-worker Dick and I with an Indian at the Pow Wow in Orlando at the fairgrounds many years ago. My guess is that my mom probably took the picture. I had noticed before my sister's turkey passed away that there seemed to be similar traits between the Indian dance and head dress and the turkey fluffing up his feathers and dancing just to impress me. The Indians have a slow methodical step to their dance and so does the turkey. The turkey pumps out his feathers and his tail feathers in a similar fashion to the back of the head dress on the Indian in a dance costume like this one in the picture. He swings it from side to side to showcase a slow movement. I have seen this step done in Indian dance. Turkeys seem to be a proud bird and Indians display a proud history through their dance. Today the garbage goes out. Last week we only had one day of garbage pickup. This was due to the Holiday of the New Year. This seems to make extra garbage for us. However, the garbage people are pretty quick about picking up the garbage. I probably will have a load of clothes to hang out to dry. I have plenty of leftovers for lunch. There are two containers of split pea soup and one big container of spaghetti which I made yesterday for dinner. Fifteen days until the Inauguration of the new President. Today, the torch of Orange County Sheriff is pasted from Kevin Berry to Jerry Demings. The ceremony begins at 2p.m. I will probably see highlights on the evening news. Monday does sound like a progressive day.

The turkey is gone

It was kind of hard to locate a picture of the turkey after Glendon told me her pet turkey she named "The General" passed on to his great reward. She had to bury him last night which she dug a hole in the chicken yard. He was a big guy and she had to dig a six foot hole to bury the sixty pound turkey. Despite all the work to bury the creature she says she will miss him. She thinks he died of natural causes. He lived a good five years and had a happy life. He was boss of his own little world. I guess I will miss petting the guy. He just stood there while you stroked his warm head. He did attack Glendon's camera when I got too close, but he never attacked me. He loved eating dog food, cat food, and chicken food. The chicken food did get stuck in his throat and he would have to take time and cough it through. Glendon says "the other animals like the dogs and cats knew something was up, but they are OK." Glendon says" he left an impression with everyone he met."

What to do on Friday evening

I went out with my camera last night to take pictures of the last remaining Christmas lights before they are packed away for next year. Mom felt like she was coming down with a cold because she took a neighbor to the doctor and the office was filled with people coughing. She did take an Echinacea and hopefully it will do some good. I started listening to a duet on You tube with Andrea Bocelli and Katherine Jenkins. It was another rendition of " Time to say Goodbye." Katherine has a very heavy voice and not light like Sarah Brightman. I just heard a few notes and that was it. My computer takes a lot of time to buffer a video. This did not seem worth the time to wait. I ran across my neighbor Pauline's daughter Susan out walking her two little dogs. She is going in for eye surgery on Tuesday and will be heading back to South Carolina when she has recovered. The time just seems too short. I know she wants to go home to see her place again, but she will be missed around here. The weatherman keeps promising us some cooler weather. I wish it were here. It seemed to be a bit warm last night. At least it wasn't very humid.

First Weekend in January

Last night I watched David Foster and friends on PBS. This wasn't the first time, but I enjoy good singing and music. He had artist like Kenny G.,Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groben, Celine Dion, a Asian girl named Cheri who sang like Whitney Huston, and Michael Buble who sings like Frank Sinatra. Mom fried up the rest of the chicken last night. We also had mashed potatoes and chicken gravy. Plus mom made fresh Cole slaw which I ate it all. I liked the other dish where mom baked the chicken with some mushroom soup and some biscuits on top. This was also a real good meal. Mom said" the Christmas lights come down today." I am sorry to see them go. They gave me a warm kind feeling to see the glowing green and red lights outside the kitchen window. I also loved looking at the one Italian neighbor who had lights all in his front yard and around the water fountain in the middle of his front yard. It was like looking at a Disney display. There was also one other Italian family which I didn't go see enough of their light display. Angelo said" it took him about six days to put up all the light displays in his front yard." He did this for his kids and probably the grandchildren. This is a full month of free driving on the beach. This changes the first of February. I hope we get another cool front. I love the cool weather. Once it is gone, the hot weather comes back and it is not as fun. Especially when the humidity sets in, the only good place is either at the movie theater or in front of the television with the air conditioning blowing. However, for now I will just enjoy the January weather.

Happy 2009 ( January 1, 2009)

I feel I almost have a totally clean slate to work with for 2009. I know I dropped my camera yesterday by accident, but it should work OK. I tried it out and everything seemed to light up like it should. There were plenty of photo opportunities yesterday which I did not realize at the time. I was suppose to have a go out to lunch with my mom and neighbor Laurel. Laurel ended up picked our trip out on the water taxi. We ate at "Down the Hatch" restaurant which is at Ponce Inlet. I had a breast of chicken sandwich with french fries and onions. I thought the breast was going to be fried, but they brought it out to me grilled. I didn't complain. The onion slices were on the sandwich with tomato and lettuce. This made me very happy. Mom had a smoked fish dip with crackers. She also got a small cup of vegetable soup. Laurel had the grouper sandwich with fries and chips. She could not eat all the fries and chips. I helped her eat a lot of her fries and chips. The waitress brought me a small dish of honey mustard sauce which I dipped my french fries in. It gave the fries a tangy sweet and sour taste. All three of us thought we had all the time in the world before the water taxi came back to take us back to the starting point of our journey which was the Marine Discovery Center. I even made a couple of trips to the ladies room and still had time to visit their gift shop after eating. I didn't buy any of the souvenirs. They weren't quite what I had wanted to purchase. I would have bought a coffee mug if it had said "Down the Hatch" but I couldn't find any that had this writing on it. The only authentic logo stuff were tee shirts and golf shirts. I had plenty of shirts at home. I didn't need an extra one. The water taxi started out a bit rocky even before the engine was turned on. The boat rocked from side to side like a teeter totter. I was asking to myself " Where is the motion sickness medicine?" The boat straightened out once the motor was started. The boat cut through the water nicely at a slow speed. When the speed increased, it was like a saw cutting through wood. It cut the water with jagged cuts in a forward motion. The intensity of the views on the ride to our lunch place and back were beyond the scope of a camera. There were several sand bars near the North bridge created by the low tide. The pelicans hung out there in small groups of four. The pelicans would yawn and stretch their wings as to build their muscles for later flights. The houses were the size of four mansions stacked together. This all started after passing through the North bridge. The money stemmed from buying one of these homes. The taxes which had to be paid. The maintenance to the outside of the homes and the cost must be like sending a man to the moon. It would cost more than what my last job was paying me. These were the types of homes you would expect California to have. Florida is a different story. Our economy is not as rich. I would recommend an afternoon like the one I had yesterday.