Ack!  I just realized my plates are expired today.  I renewed two months ago by mail for 24 months but I have never received the new registration and decal.  That means a trip to the DMV Monday first thing.  Arggggg.  Just what I wanted to do, right?

And I went shopping yesterday and bought my wreath.  It smells so good.  Last year I had a fake one and no smell so I won't do that again.

It's slowly getting warmer again.  It's going to be lovely again soon but not soon enough!  I mean it's great out but not hot enough to swim yet.  Maybe Monday.

Today I'll be with the duck and that's one of the high points of my week, I am so lucky to have him nearby plus I just found out D#1 will be here in a couple of weeks again for some more dental work with that handsome dentist of mine.

So that's about it for me.  Hope your Sunday is lovely.  Mine will be for sure!

It's time to break out the snowmen earrings I guess.  It's cold here.  I tried to go to the pool yesterday after Andre' but it was WAY too cold.  I don't even think it hit 70 actually.  I'm not sure today will be any better either but at least it's been sunny so that's something anyway.

Today I have nothing to do at all.  I might scrounge up a load of laundry if I look close enough but that's it.  I must find something to do today.  Maybe it's time to clean out the pantry, that's a pretty good project I suppose.  Just not something I want to do.

Or there are some shelves in my closet that need attention but again, not something that interests me.  I had a chance to play canasta but turned it down earlier in the week and now I'm sorry I did but they found someone else so that's out.

Trust me I WILL find something to do today though.  And I will try to like it too! lol

Have a great Saturday y'all.  I will too, doing something.  Somewhere!

Well after two (count them TWO) Thanksgiving Dinners yesterday it's time for me to visit Andre' today.  They were both delicious too.  First was the Fern House where there were many guys and lots had families with them and wonderful food and then next was the (self appointed) mayor (of the pool) and his lovely bride and their family and it was such a nice time with fabulous food.  I love them so much!  Great friends.

Plus as an added bonus I had a nice phone call from that handsome dentist wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving.  We still have that concert coming up soon to go to.

So Thanksgiving is history for another year and now we are full on into the Christmas season.  I usually mostly give money because they are all not near me and that way they get what they want so I don't have much shopping to do but I do have some.  I still like Amazon.com for lots of things too.

I wish it was warm enough to swim.  I am hopeful that after the gym it will be but not sure yet.  One way or another I have some major exercise to do to get rid of all I ate yesterday though so if I can't swim I'll have to walk after the gym.  I'm glad it's only one day because I really was uncomfortable afterward.  My own fault but everything was so delicious I just couldn't help myself.

Have a great Friday y'all.  I will too.  For sure!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Comments are not necessary today.

Take the day off and spend it any way you want.

I will too.

I punched for all I was worth!  Over and over!

And it felt so good!

I had to hold this for 45 seconds.  Three times.

If you don't think it's hard try it!

Even without the weight it would have been hard!

Boy howdy I had a good workout yesterday.  I could not believe I could hold this so long either.  When you are doing something like that believe me 45 seconds seems like a very long time.

Poker didn't go too well but I had a nice time.  And today I'll make my pie crust and put it in the refrigerator for Thursday morning.  

If you are counting I am still not smiling either.  Enough of that, stay tuned though.

So Happy Wednesday y'all.  Have a great day.  I will too.  For sure, I always do don't I?

Well I blatantly stole this photo from my granddaughter, Ayla with her handsome husband Matt.  Since I rarely see them it's about the only way I can get a photo these days.  I wish I could spend some time with her to learn how to do this curly hair a bit better, she knows all the secrets to her curls.  Right now they are both visiting D#1 for the week, lucky them!  I could have gone too but I'm staying here with the duck instead.

So today I get to go see Andre' and get beat up pretty good.  And then some laundry and if it's nice, the pool.  It was wonderful yesterday, the water and the air were both perfect and I had a good workout.

Stay warm y'all.  And have a happy week!  I will too... for sure!

This beautiful gal is Katerina and she is the smiling face that brought me breakfast every day on the last cruise.    Here she was choosing some earrings from the ones I made.  She was always happy, always smiling, and soooo sweet.  In fact every employee from the Captain to the dishwashers were smiling all the time.  The Carnival Ecstasy is a happy ship.  A very happy ship.  I cannot wait to go on it again!  It is immaculate and pristine and quite old really for a cruise ship in today's fleet, 1992.  It is so well cared for that it seems new to me.  I miss it!  It is much smaller than the newer ones but just quite lovely.  My favorite ship.

So the sun came back out in my world and all was right with the world again.  Today it is to be sunny and in the 80's so I shall be at the pool for sure.

I saw Marion Barry died, the three time mayor of Washington DC.  I don't know what he died from but maybe smoking crack?  Again?  

You know I have made SO many pies from scratch with the most delicious tender crust ever but I haven't made one in over three years and I am actually nervous about making one for Thanksgiving to take to the (self appointed) mayor (of the pool). I don't know why either because I have made probably fifty apple pies but this one makes me nervous.  His bride is a wonderful cook.  Oh well, I shall make it and take it and it will be what it will be, won't it?

Guess that's it from me today y'all.  Have a wonderful Monday and I sure will too! 

I did really good at canasta yesterday, won a good bit!  Today will find me and the duck having a lovely lunch somewhere and then hitting Publix.  It will be crowded I think, very crowded but it's a must so we shall go and try to have some fun while we are there.

I know lots of y'all have had horrible weather but we have here as well.  It's been VERY windy, cool, rainy, just plain nasty.  Yesterday the sun came out for about five minutes and that was it.  It was so windy last night I couldn't rest, it is very unsettling to be this high in this much wind.  Loud and eerie actually.

I am hopeful that today will be better.  I hope your weather is better too!  Have a great Sunday.  You can be sure I will!

First let me clarify that Wednesday I said I could do 80 sit ups, not 80 push ups!  Yikes, if I could do that I try out to be a Navy Seal!  I can do a few push ups but not even ten unless I am on an incline like the edge of a table, then I could do a good many that way.  And do, but not flat on the floor regular push up, no way!

Yesterday Andre' changed it up again, now he is working on toning, whatever that is.  All I know is it was hard as all heck but I did it all.  He is not going to get the best of me.  Ever! Ha ha.

Today I will be in the ladies card room again playing Canasta in the game I am now just a sub.  It's not too nice outside so I don't mind this time though.

Hope your day is fantastic!  Mine will be for sure!

I found this photo on the Internet while looking for something else and I would gladly give credit if I knew where it should go but this is the building Sarge and I lived in for five years as it was being imploded.  

It was a great building and a perfect location right on the Intracoastal Waterway.  I walked along the water each evening after dinner.  From our apartment we could see miles of ocean and all of Palm Beach and of course the Intracoastal.

It was marvelous..... until it wasn't.  They did not do proper maintenance on the building and when you are anywhere near salt air not doing maintenance is death to concrete.  Sarge knew this and tried with all his might to get them to do it.  Nope, they didn't want to spend the money and believe me it's expensive.  

But this was the result.  Luckily we sold about five years earlier.  That man knew what he was talking about.  In a hurricane a few years ago there were major problems and non repairable.  It is currently an empty lot waiting on development.

So today I have Andre' again and I saw him yesterday while I was at the club playing Canasta.  He told me two young girls were in the gym today and could not do sit ups at all.  Imagine that.  And I can do 80!  That made me really realize how far I have come.

Have a lovely day y'all.  I will too.  For sure!

Well yesterday was a bust weather wise but I did get my terraces and windows cleaned anyway so now everything looks good again.  Oh, and there is no snow here so my world is sane.

Today I am having lunch with some gals and then we are playing canasta.  Not my first choice of what I'd like to do but it's too cold for the pool and so I'll go to the card room instead of staying home and getting into mischief there.

There are some amazing cruise deals going on right now too.  I am looking at some bookings but haven't pulled the trigger yet.  Soon I hope.  I guess I'll have to go by myself again though.  The duck is going with me in January but that's all he can take off right now.  I don't mind though, I do fine by myself now.  It's sort of fun actually because I talk to people and am never lonely on the ships.  Only at home.  At night.

Have a great day y'all, me too...

I watched some Youtube videos on the WEN site for curly hair and I know what I was doing wrong.  I wasn't using enough product after I cleansed my hair, leave-in product.  In fact I wasn't using half enough.  It wasn't that I was being cheap with it but rather that I thought too much would make it heavy and gummy but no, it made it easier, much easier to control.  This is just cleansed, add leave in conditioner and styling cream and scrunch and let air dry.  That's it.  I am liking it better now.

I did really great with Andre' yesterday, in fact he had me doing HIS routine!  Wow, I was impressed with that!  It was my 81st session.  I know that because I pay every ten times and this was a day to pay.

And then poker didn't go too well but that's okay, it was fun anyway.  Today Steve and Jane come to sparkle up my condo.  It's cold and not nice out and I was hoping to have the windows done today but I'm not sure that will happen.

Have a great Wednesday y'all.  I will too.  For sure.  And stay warm!

Oh my GOSH!  Y'all rock totally!  You have given the Fern House enough funds to buy the toys already!  I love you guys!  There will be many happy children soon for sure.  Thank you so much!  There was an amazing donation by one of you too.  Amazing.  I am speechless.  For once! Ha!

The pool was so wonderful yesterday I could have stayed all day but now it's cold so no swimming today.  Yesterday's high was the mid 80's and today will barely hit 70 if we are lucky.  At least I'll get my exercise with Andre' though so it's all good here.  I also lost some more weight.  

The (self appointed) governor (of the pool) told me yesterday that I needed a facelift.  That's two of them now, him and Dr. Wacks.  Wrinkles on my a$$, wrinkles on my face.  Time marches on and it ain't pretty guys...

Have a fabulous Tuesday y'all.  I will too, for sure!

Sorry this didn't post on time.  I messed it up I'm afraid.  Anyway I'll try again, here goes...

These are still from my birthday roses on the 4th, can you believe there are still some left?  And still lovely?  Great flowers!

It's Monday again and I have a few things to do in the apartment and then I plan on heading to the pool.  It's sunny and nice here.

Oh, and by the way, I'm still smiling here y'all.  News soon one way or the other, a$$ wrinkles and all.

Gosh it has been beautiful here and the pool is amazingly warm, clean, and wonderful.  I wish we had new pool furniture but we don't so that's what it is and I'll still be happy for sure.

Today will find me out and about with the duck having lunch, going to Publix, stuff like that.

The Fern House is having it's annual Christmas party where they give (nice) gifts to the children of those in that program so they are taking donations if anyone is interested.  It's tax deductible too.  I asked if I could donate cash so they could buy what they need when they see what is donated and Chuck said yes.  They can even take a credit card donation now.  $25.00 would be wonderful!  Here is what it says:

Part of our mission of helping chronic male drug addicts and alcoholics find and maintain sustained sobriety includes reuniting families that have been estranged from one another for long periods of time. In this holiday season families naturally come together in celebration. Please help us make that re-uniting even more special. We are attempting to raise 100 new unwrapped toys for children ages 2-10. Santa will be on-hand to hand these toys at out at our annual Christmas Party. We at Fern House know that you are asked by so many organizations for help this time of year.  If you can find a way to add one or two more toys to make the experience for the 20 children expected to be in attendance a little brighter, our undying gratitude will be owed to you. Toys can be dropped of at Fern House located at 1958 Church Street West Palm Beach FL OR feel free to call the office phone number at 561-471-0430 and speak with Chuck, Rich or Darlene and we will make arrangements to have toys picked up at your location. As always, THANK YOU for your support of our organization Chuck CordleExecutive Director

So here's hoping every one of you are smiling as wide as I am these days.  Have a great Sunday!  I will too.

Well it's the weekend and I am free to do whatever and I love that.  Yesterday was good actually.  I had a great workout and I did get to swim because it got warmer than I thought it would and all that was wonderful.  The ass wrinkles, not so much.  I am really hung up on this, shocked, disappointed, and all that krap.  Who knew?  I mean I know the old boobies start to sag but seriously, ass wrinkles? Ack!  I'm trying to get past it but not having any luck at all so far.

I know what I need, a cruise!  Yes!  Soon I think.  Sooner than later actually.  I am so ready.  But then when am I not ready to cruise, right?

I'm glad the general consensus was that you liked the hair yesterday.  A few people don't but that's okay.  It's just hair.  Ayla totally loved it thought!  Here is what she emailed me:

WHAT OMG I'M FREAKING OUT YOU HAVE CURLY HAIR AND I LOOOOOVE IT!!!! IT'S LONGER THAN MY HAIR IS RIGHT NOW AND OMG YOU LOOK SO FREAKING CUTE SORRY FOR YELLING I'M  JUST SO EXCITED

That's my granddaughter if you didn't know.  That right there is enough for me to keep it a while.  I love that girl!  Here is her curly hair!  It's so beautiful!

In about another week I'll be ready to disclose my secret smile.  Or not.  Stay tuned still.  Ass wrinkles and all.

Have a lovely Saturday y'al.  I will too, for sure.  You'll find me at the pool today!

So okay don't pay any attention to the no makeup but only the hair.  I am still learning how to be "Curly Bee".  I got a lot of compliments on it yesterday but I am still not 100% happy.  It's getting better though and it is VERY easy to do.  Just wash, condition, apply product for curly hair, and scrunch.  Then just let dry and d for done.

Then, omg!  I was looking in the mirror at my back(side) (don't ask!) (I mean it) and I now have "ass wrinkles". When did that happen?  Ass wrinkles!  Krap on a stick!  I wonder if Oil of Olay makes something for that?  So now I (might!) have found someone I could like and I have ass wrinkles!  I'm a prize alright.  Krap and double krap.  I am actually speechless.  I had no idea.  ASS WRINKLES!  $hit.

And on that note I'll leave you for today.  And go somewhere and pout about ass wrinkles.  Buggers.  The end.  (literally) 

Yesterday I did pretty good at Maj, I won over three dollars, more than I lost at poker and I made some hard hands so it wasn't just luck.  I had a really nice time too.

Today is canasta and lunch.  It's a bit chilly for swimming anyway so I guess being in the ladies card room will be better.  I'd rather swim every day though for sure.

There are three other people on my floor now, the medical student, another young man that I just met and a couple from Germany that are only here once in awhile.  My next door neighbor is from New York and they were here last week but are gone again already.  I like having people around, it was empty for a long time.  And the two young men are full time here, both in say, maybe their 20's and very personable and friendly.  I am very happy to have nice neighbors.

I did manage to put a smile on someone's face yesterday and it felt wonderful to do so.  I think I'll do it again today!

Have a great Thursday y'all.  I will too.  You know I will!

So let's start with poker last night.  I lost three dollars, not bad but not a win.  Today is Mahjong and I'll try to do better.  I am already 0 for 1.  That's a sports thing in case you didn't know.  I didn't but the mayor told me that.  You know the one, of the pool.

So here is some news.  Remember I told you a while back I was smiling and then I thought maybe it was a fake guy?  Well I am smiling again.  It's very early but you know I tell you most everything and I think I might have found a keeper.  We'll see soon enough.  Chuck is still not sure but he has been wrong before.  And I have been right before.  Actually Chuck is hoping I am right this time.  I'll share a photo when and if it goes anywhere, ok?  Stay tuned.

Boy howdy I love my life.  I don't think I could get much happier actually.  Some days I almost feel guilty about my happiness.  I know that doesn't make any sense but it's true. Absolutely true.

Today I am going to try to something really nice for someone.  I'm not sure who or what now but I intend to put a smile on someone's face today.

Have a wonderful Wednesday y'all.  I will too, for sure!

Good morning from paradise.  Things seem to be going pretty good in my world.  My mother used to say "yeah, just watch some bas$$%rd come along and $#*# it up though".  We'll see.

Happy Veteran's Day to all the vets out there and the families too.  I know Sarge loved this day, 11/11, every year.  He always called my old boss (another Viet Nam vet) and they'd wish each other a Happy Veteran's Day every year so since he died I call and do the same in his honor.  It's tradition now.

Next up I have Andre' where he shall beat me up badly and I shall love it.  Then there is poker in the evening.  A pretty full day and if it gets warm enough I'd like to swim too.  The water is warm but the air?  Maybe, maybe not.

I hope you have a perfectly lovely Tuesday in your world.  Mine will be amazing.  I am sure of it!

Gosh it rained all day yesterday.  I got soaked coming in with groceries.  I usually have the doorman take them but I didn't have much and it wasn't raining bad so I just parked and got the bags when the sky opened up.  I was holding a purse, keys, groceries, and an umbrella and my sweater which was falling off my arm as I walked.  It was a mess! lol  Anyway I got in and everything done and got my jammies on by 1:30 in the afternoon.  I just thought it'd be a good nap day.

Today is the duck's birthday and I shall take him out to dinner and we'll celebrate a bit.  He is forty-four.  Where did those years go?  I have no idea.  None at all.  

My new hairdryer with the diffuser came Saturday so I used that and it worked pretty good for a first time try.  I think it will get easier too.  My hair is really curly naturally so I am just trying to embrace that and stop pulling them straight for a while.

I guess that's all I know today y'all.  Have a lovely Monday.  Do something fun!  I will too...

Gosh I need to get back on a ship to see this every morning.  Seriously I wish I lived on one.  

It is getting dark so early now too.  I much prefer the long lazy days of summer but at least it's not cold.  Cool but not cold.  There is now a new heater for the pool so the water is wonderful though.  

The card room was so full yesterday.  The snowbirds are back in flocks!  The buildings are all full, the parking lots full, the restaurants full, yup, season is upon us now.

Today I hope to see the duck for lunch for our weekly outing.  One of my favorite times of the week!

Sigh, there is no cake in my world though.  Why do you suppose that is?  Kidding.  Cake is not healthy, not good for you, and not - um - what I should be eating.  It's just sooooo good!  Why do you suppose that is either?  Sorry, just cake thinking here! lol

Have a great Sunday y'all.  I will too.  For sure...

This was the moon as I walked into the building last night after being taken out for yet another birthday dinner.  I have seriously been celebrating all week.  And lost weight!  Win/win.  Anyway it was a lovely evening and we ran into people we knew and had a fun time laughing and dinner was delicious too.  I had broiled fish, I usually do don't I?

Today I have canasta and I would much rather be at the pool.  It is the absolutely perfect temperature, there is a new heater!  Tits to that!  Anyway yesterday it was wonderful and I did really good with Andre' too so dinner was no problem.

I am slowly learning how to do the curly hair myself.  I ordered a blow dryer with a diffuser and I'll have to learn how to do that too.  My Mahjong gals like it, my canasta gals don't.  Who knows how long it will last?

So it's the weekend.  Anybody have great plans?  Anything lovely going on in your world?  I hope so!