Another Cloudy Day...But No Rain!

   Our alarm rang at 8:00 this morning, so we could get ready for church at 10:00.  It was 60 degrees and sunny.  Looked like it was going to be a great weather day.  We had breakfast and got ready to go down to the CH for church.  By the time we left it was overcast but warm.  Church was nice and they had refreshments afterward.  We came back to Harvey and worked on adding some lights to our screen house.  Then John went for a walk. 

John took these pics of the resident woodstork.  Not
to Handsome, huh?  He hangs around the 5th wheel
 of Susie, the minister a lot which is just 4 sites]down from us.
  She feeds it hot dogs!!

 

The sun just refused to come out, so we rode our bikes down to the pool area to play shuffleboard.  These courts are old and not kept very well.  The little ball on the end of my stick rolled off the first time I used it and the whole end of John's stick came off on his first "push".  The courts are real slow, too, unlike the ones we played on at Buttonwood Bay.  It took some getting use to, but I was the victor in the end!!  It's about time!  We rode back and then I rode back to the office to make some copies of instructions for magnetic necklace/bracelet clasps that I'm going to try to sell along with my pins.

This is the magnet you can add to your necklace
or bracelet to make it easier to get on.

  I worked on putting those together and then a couple from Middletown stopped by, Pat and Harry and their Boston Bull dog.  We chatted for a while.  Then we had leftovers for supper and walked down to the CH for Sunday Night Live at 7:00.  A group of mainly "older" guys from the CG, mostly professionals, play and sing.  The are quite good! 

It was a full house tonight!

Here's the band!!

This is Sonny...a great guitarist who has played
at the Grand Old Opry in Nashville.  He is sooooo talented!!

I think this guy's name is Kenny.  He sings
a lot of comical songs.

And this is Everett.  He is hysterical!!  He acts as
the emcee and has such a dry sense of humor.
He also plays a mean fiddle!! I'm pretty sure
he's in his 80's.

Campers can sign up to sing or play instruments, too, so I thought, "what the heck", and I signed up for the 2nd half.  I sang Anne Murray's, "You Needed Me".  They won't have one next week because of the Super Bowl, but I think I'll sign up for the following Sunday.  They are having a Variety Show on the 27th and asked me to participate.  We won't be here then...we'll be at Rambler's Rest in Venice, but John encouraged me to come anyway.  We have to check how far it is.  The show was over at 9:00.  We walked back to Harvey, watched some TV while I worked on the blog, and then went to bed about 10:30.

Harvey and the screen house all lit up.
John did a great job!!

Yea...It's Pool Time!!

  It got a bit nippy during the night.  As a matter of fact I wore sweat pants and a sweatshirt to bed!  We got up about 8:00, John cooked eggs and bacon for breakfast, and by 10:00 the temp was almost 70 degrees.  You know what that means...POOL TIME!!  I got my suit on and headed on down by 11:00.  John wanted to do some walking, so he will join me later.  I was afraid it would be full and we might not get chairs with the way the weather has been, but to my surprise there was only one other lady there!!  I got in the hot tub for about 20 minutes and then plopped myself in my chair...AHHHHH!  I started chatting with the lady in the next chair and about an hour later was reading my book and soaking up the rays.  John arrived shortly after that.  Here are some pics he took on his walk:

Here's where we are for the next 2 and 1/2 weeks.

 

there's still a lot of collected water...

 

...but the ducks don't seem to mind!

 

Funny looking ducks, huh?!?

 

 

 

Lunch, anyone?  John just happened to catch this
osprey with his own catch of a fish.

 

Yep, there's 2 of them.

 

Here's the other one up close and personal.  I guess
the other one isn't sharing lunch!

 

Blooming geraniums in January!

 

Loved this sign!!

 

Cute cactus plant stand, but no plants.  What's up with that??

 

Resident blue heron.

  He got in the hot tub and then took a dip in the pool.  I never did get in because cloud cover rolled in blocking the sun and we left at about 2:30.  DRAT...I wanted to be there all day.  For some reason I was dizzy.  I didn't feel sick and nothing hurt...my equilibrium was just off.  I'm thinking it might have something to do with either the way I had my head off the chair talking to the lady or from the adjustment at the chiropractor.  So when we got back to Harvey I put a heated pillow around my neck and just took it easy.  John went outside and set up more of our stuff.  I was still a bit dizzy, but I made hot dogs and mac and cheese for supper.  Then we attempted to play some cards, but neither one of us was really into it.  We watched some TV instead and then went to bed about 10:30.  I hope my dizziness goes away during the night!!

Blue Skies, but Chilly!

  It poured during the night again...woke me up.  I even woke up John because I couldn't figure out what the noise was.  He really appreciated that...so much that he couldn't get back to sleep and got up for an hour.  Sorry, honey!  We set the alarm for 7:00 this morning, so we could go down to the CH for breakfast before my chiropractor appt. at 9:00.  And, guess what...it wasn't raining!!

Look!!!  A blue sky.  We almost forgot what that color looks like!!

  For $3 each we got scrambled eggs with onion and cheese, 2 sausage patties, OJ, toast, bagels, Eng. muffins, doughnuts, hard boiled eggs, and coffee or tea.  Not bad, huh, and it was very good!  We left for the chiropractor's office and arrived right on time.  Dr Jeter was very nice.  He did some adjustments and sent me on my way.  I have another appt. on Monday.  I talked to Bonnie and the procedure on her lip went well.  She had a spot on her lip that needed to be "scraped" to make sure it hadn't gone any deeper.  All is well, praise God!!  I talked to Mom and Dad, too.  Dad is a bit frustrated and depressed over his immobility and Mom is exhausted mentally and physically due to her move and Dad's.  Plus she's dealing with all of Dad's falls and some confusion.  She is very devoted to him and it's hard to watch him go downhill.  They both miss Bonnie and I very much.  We stopped at a local produce stand to get some sweet and juicy honeybell oranges.  I had one when we got back to Harvey.  It certainly lived up to it's name.  I had juice running everywhere!!Then we Skyped with Arlena and Cooper.  She had Cooper overnight because Heather had a late meeting at school and had to be in again early this morning.  Thanks so much, Arlena!  Bennett was at daycare, so we didn't get to talk to him :(  John took a walk while I tried to figure out a new card game we got at Camping World in SC...Kings in the Corner.  I also worked on the blog.  We played a couple of hands when he got back and then he took a short nap.  When he got up we ordered Chinese for supper.  Then we went down to the CH to hear a band called, "Last Resort." 

There's the band.

Hey, Bonnie, Pat and Ed sat beside us.  Somehow they remembered us from last year, and they certainly remembered you guys.  Ed mentioned he played tennis with you.  The band was pretty good, but we left early because John had some indigestion and was feeling nauseous.    I had some intestinal issues earlier in the day.  I hope we didn't eat something bad!  We watched "The Blind Side" and played some more "Kings in the Corner."  But it was kind of boring, so we played 5 Crowns instead.  I creamed John this time...YEA!!  John went to bed.   I finished watching the movie, "Flight Plan" and then went to bed.

It's Still Raining!!

  It was a pretty uneventful day today...at least until the end of the day, but I'll explain that later.  John slept in until almost 8:30 which is rare for him, and I didn't wake up until 10:00!!  I put earplugs in last night so I wouldn't hear the rain on the roof of Harvey.  Guess it worked, huh?!?  We had breakfast and then I showered while John took a walk during a short time that the rain stopped.  Because of all the rain, I decided to work on my pins today.

  There's a craft show here on the 6th that Bonnie and I are participating in as we did last year.  I got all set up at the table and John settled in on the passenger seat of Harvey and read his book.  Then I got a call from Sandi, the co-ordinator of the craft show.  She said that because of all the flooding the craft show was being postponed until the first Saturday in March.  Not only will Bonnie and I not be here, but we are participating in another show at Mixon's Fruit Farm that day.  I was disappointed, but certainly understood.  It won't dry out in time for the outside stands and parking would also be a problem.  Some of the people here have water inside their homes and several of the roads are flooded.  Tomorrow they are having some of the water in the lake pumped out!   I finished my pins in time to get ready for supper.  John grilled boneless pork ribs while I cooked corn and made a salad.  It was really windy outside and still pouring, but John got the job done.  It was delicious!  Then we went down to BINGO at the Front Clubhouse.  I told John I felt lucky tonight.  Well, Holy Cow...I won 3 times including the cover all.  I raked in $50 and only spent $6!!  How's that for a nice profit.  And John won a lucky number drawing a got a roll of paper towels.  It was a good night.  We got back about 9:00, played 2 games of 5 Crowns...Johns creamed me again, and then we went to bed.  Gotta get up early tomorrow for breakfast down at the clubhouse and then I have to be at the chiropractor's office by 9:00.  Bonnie recommended this guy because a friend of hers used him and was very pleased.  I hope I get some relief, too!!  BTW...we got between 6 & 7 inches of rain since Tuesday.  The weatherman said today that the average rainfall for January is 1.94 inches.  So far this year they have had almost 13!!

These 2 pics from in front of the clubhouse.  You
can see why they don't think it will dry out in time
for the craft show next Saturday!

 

 

This is across from the clubhouse that they use for
overflow parking for the show...don't think so!! 

 

This is a canal along the entrance to the CG.  It
is usually almost dry!

 

This is 2 roads behind us.

 

Some people are still smiling amidst it all...so clever!

 

The rest of the pictures are of the pond overflowing...
right into some of the permanent homes!

 

 

 

 

This is where they are going to pump water out.

It's Raining, It's Pouring!!

   We both got up at 7:00 after a restless night.  It started raining about 1:00 and the sound of it on the roof of Harvey makes it hard to sleep.  Plus, my sciatica that I pulled last night was bothering me a bit.  We each had a pop tart for breakfast, packed things up and were on the road by 8:30.  Luckily the rain had stopped long enough for John to get all the outside stuff done! It drizzled most of the way until we got close to Cape Coral.  Then it started raining a lot.  By the time we got to the Pine Island CG it was pouring.  Yuck!!  All in all it was a good trip.  Most of the highways we were on were just 2 lanes and had lots to see.

There are orange groves just about everywhere you look!

  I went into the office to register while John unhooked the Jeep.  I was hoping to get a site close to the front of the CG but all they had was #167 which is on the back outside loop.  However, when one of the staff members who escorts you out to your site saw what site we had, he said it wouldn't work for a motorhome because it was just too wet...didn't have a cement pad.  So they moved us to #359.  Still in the back, but has a cement pad!  John backed in like an old pro and we were set up by 12:15.  By luck, again, the rain stopped while were setting up, but shortly after we got done it started again. 

LOTS of puddles not only on our site
but all over the CG!

 

We had some lunch and then decided to play a best out of 5 game of 5 Crowns.  I won the first one, John, the second and third.  I won the fourth and the bully!  Felt pretty good since I've been losing at everything!!  John decided to take a nap.  It is still pouring!!  I tried to call Dad but he didn't answer, so I called Mom to see if he was behaving.  They moved him this morning to a room closer to the nurse's station, so they can keep better tabs on him.  Hope that works, but from what Mom said the problem seems to be more about stubbornness and impatience!!  Good grief, if we're not worrying about our kids, it's our parents!!  While I was cleaning my bathroom John came in and said, "OK, 6:40 or 8:00?"  I asked him what he was talking about, and he explained that those were times for the movie, "Revenent."  I picked 6:40 which was a theater in Ft Myers, so we left at 5:45.  We figured we could grab a bite to eat afterward.  The roads were all pretty flooded from the 5 inches of rain Cape Coral/Ft Myers got today, but we made it in time.  Well, all the previews lasted almost 25 minutes, the movie wasn't very good, and the it played until 9:45!  We wanted pizza and to stop at a grocery store.  But everything was closed!!  We finally found a Dominoes close to the CG.  It's not my favorite, but it had to do.  We ate our pizza and then played 3 games of 5 Crowns.  John won the bully.  I finished the blog and then we went to bed at 1:00.  Oh, by the way...it's STILL POURING!!

Now This is Florida at It's Finest!!

  We both woke up about 7:30.  The temp was already 54, so things are looking up!  John wanted to walk, so he got the laundry ready and walked it down.  He was going to keep walking while the laundry was going and then slip back to switch it over.  I cleaned up inside Harvey a bit and got a birthday card ready to send to our daughter-in-law, Arlena.  Then I drove to the Laundromat (my left hip is really bugging me)at 10:15 to help fold everything.  My timing was great...John had it almost all done!  We drove back, put everything away, and then went down to the shuffleboard courts.  It was a very close game, but John beat me 75-69.

The courts are pristine.  8 up front and 6 in the back

That's my "non-winning" form!!

  We were going to go to the pool, but decided to just sit outside Harvey.  It was 80 degrees, shady, and a bit breezy...just too perfect to pass up.

Finally, a warm day!

 

  Plus we could turn up the Pandora 60's, 70's and 80's music and rock on!   I think this is the first time we have been able to sit outside since we left PA!!!  We ate our lunch and then the clouds started rolling in.  It is supposed to start raining tonight.  Hope it holds off until then!  Bonnie called to let me know that Dad fell again.  He just won't listen.  We understand how hard it must be to lose your independence, but we're afraid that if he keeps falling the nurses may have to restrain him or take his motorized cart away.  That would be horrible for a man who still has his mind!  We certainly don't want to see it come to that!!  Then I challenged John to another game of shuffleboard.  He kept knocking into the minus 10 spot, so, of course, I lost the first 2 games, but it wasn't a cream job.  I told him I was going to keep playing until I won a game.  I hoped we wouldn't have to have something delivered for supper :) Well, will wonders never cease...I won the 3rd game!  Then we went over to the Bocce Ball courts to watch some games going on.  A woman ask us if we would like to play.  I stayed sitting because of my hip, but John played.  He did really well and beat her!  Then he and I played and he won again!  But it was fun.  We sat on a swing by the lake and watched the sunset. 

It's starting, but a little dull yet.

Getting better...

...and better

This bird showed up...not sure what kind it is.

Now we're talkin'

This little squirrely stopped by, too, to watch.

Just about gone, but still beautiful!

We got back to Harvey about 6:30.  John did some work outside to prepare for our departure tomorrow morning, while I made a pound of steamed shrimp for supper.  It was so good!  I talked to Michele and she was having a rough day today...having a lot of muscle pain from tight skin.  She left the condo today and was on her way to W Palm Beach to a friend's apartment for the next week.  I worked on the blog a bit and then we went for ice cream at DQ.

Ahh, choco cherry love and reeses's PB cup...Yum!
We actually brought half of both of them home and
froze to enjoy another day :)

  When we got back we both took showers and got into our jammies.  John emptied the tanks.  I tried to clean out the floor of the shower and when I bent over something felt like lightening hit my sciatica and pain went down my leg.  Oh crap!!  Right now it's really aching...have no idea what I did.  I'm going to finish this blog post, ice my butt/leg, and go to bed.  We would like to leave by 8:30 tomorrow morning for our 2 & 1/2 hr. trip to Pine Island.