It is still somewhat cool today, although warming up from the sweatpant, shirt and sweatshirt weather we had on Wednesday and Thursday.
I am in short sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt, so, there, you can see, a little improvement.
Wednesday was so cool and uncomfortable, I could not find a spot outside to read. On my way up to take our trash to the dumpster, I looked around the pool area, hoping I could find a little corner there to curl up like a kitty with my book. There were no corners, just wind wiping around each end of the pool.
So, I did what I do best. Came back to the camper, pulled the blanket up over me and read in the bed. Jim may have gotten a little put out with my laziness! Once, he came in and said "that must be a good book!"
Bear in mind, while I am languishing in the bed, being lazy, Jim is out washing my car!
The entire day continued like that, Jim finding busy work and me reading, only to surface, occasionally, for a feeding. I simply read right into late afternoon, early evening, stopping long enough to get on my pajamas, brush my teeth and prop myself up with pillows to read some more.
As you would imagine, I got up Thursday Morning feeling pretty worthless. Jim and I decided we would go back down to Hillary's early, get several hours of work done and come back here early afternoon.
We did make a little progress in the palm/fern area in Hillary's side yard. Although, the theme for the morning was "if I only had some lopers." Lopers are a dangerous thing for me to have in my hands, and Jim knows it. I love me some lopers. I can find a bush in our yard in Norwood, decide it needs to be trimmed, and before you know it, the bush is pretty much gone!
In Hillary's yard we had our little branch trimmers from home and Jim went to Home Depot and got some hedge trimmers. Hedge Trimmers! What good are they? You can do all you need to do if you only have some lopers.
With the little branch clippers, we tiny clipped and tiny clipped. I tried to use the hedge trimmers, and, as I said, what good are they? I crawled in and under the palms and ferns, throwing out every dead limb I could find and trying to get at those darn Mimosas. Hillary came out to check on our progress and I heard Jim tell her that "I had gotten lost in the greenery."
We did make some, a little progress. And, next trip, I hope against hope, that a trip to Home Depot will be made for me to have some lopers! Because, with the lopers I can get really serious about this cleanup.
After leaving Hillary's we decided to go to K-Mart. Jim needs a small pot (I certainly do not) for boiling eggs, making tea, etc. We were also going to check on getting one more outside chair.
Donnie and Connie Allen are coming for a visit the week of February 5, and right now, we only have three chairs in our outside sitting area.
We spied the pots. One small pot, with lid, was $19.99 - a nondescript lawn chair was $39.99. This was not going to be as easy as we thought.
After much deliberation, we decided to get a set of pots for $24.99, and we passed on the chair. Maybe we can find a chair at a yard sale before the Allen's get here.
From KMart, we went to Publix. Our contribution for Thursday Nights Chili Bean Cookoff was going to be a Publix Key Lime Pie.
Chip gave Jim a Publix Gift Card for Christmas, anticipating we would be stocking up on our groceries there, and don't you know, the card was back at the camper. Jim and I assured each other that there would be many other occasions for us to use the card, so, we didn't kick ourselves too hard for forgetting the card.
The trip to pick up a Key Lime Pie at Publix worked out to be about five grocery bags of groceries.
We didn't get back to the campground under after 2:00 and Hillary and the girls were driving up for an afternoon visit. We got the groceries put away and I went up to the bathhouse for my shower. I think I have mentioned, showering at the bathhouse is much more enjoyable than in the camper. Lots of water that can stream down on you, with not having to wet yourself, turn the water off, lather up, turn the water back on, etc. etc. This is not the way most campers work their camper showers, just the way Jim wants to work ours - maybe the gray water (kitchen sink, shower water) tanks will not fill up as quickly. I don't ask why, ever since we had the boat, I just take my cues from the expressions on Jim's face!
Hillary and the girls got here shortly. Gabby had brought her latchhook, Lily had fallen asleep on the ride up, so we all gathered around on the sofas in the camper. Lily was out, and I mean out, she was hardly moving, and Gabby and I worked on latchhook together, she on her project, and myself, on mine.
Gabby wanted to go on a walkabout so we went out to the tiki hut. The wind was blowing so hard there were suds on the waters edge. Gabby gathered up suds in a cup, then leaves, twigs, anything she could find and it was her witches brew. I played the witches brew idea up pretty good by saying "double, double, toil and trouble" each time she would add an item.
Back to the camper, Lily is still sleeping and Gabby needs a snack.
After snacking, Jim and Gabby walked up to the clubhouse to check on the status of the chili bean cookoff.
The girls and Hillary left shortly thereafter, with the anticipation of Gabby getting to watch "Wipe-Out" on T.V. later in the evening.
Jim and I get our freshly made Key Lime Pie and go up to the 6:00 Chili Bean Cookoff.
There were 11 contestants and I took my judging job very seriously. Thereby, winding up with 11 little cups of chili beans in front of me. It got pretty confusing as to what was what - I started out by using my fingernail to mark a number on my cup, from the first pot of beans, on down the line. I would get three little cups, mark them in the number they were on the table, take those three little cups to the table, taste, and repeat, until I had all the beans taste tested.
I will have to admit, by numbers, starting about 7, they were all tasting pretty much the same. Jim and I agreed that the pot of beans on the table at the beginning of the lineup may be in a most desirable position. The first tasted, may be the first chosen. Sure enough, the first bowl won. I will have to admit, I did vote for that bowl. Jim, subsequently had voted on Bowl Number Four.
Before eating, Chuck, who was responsible for this evening's dinner of chili beans, mentioned that we had all experienced a tragedy in the events at Tucson last Saturday and requested a moment of silence. This moved me very much, as you can often feel the people and this camp are remotely removed from the rest of the world. The entire room of laughter, joking and conversation became immediately quiet and it was a very solemn moment.
At the very beginning of the contest, when we were lined up for beans, the power went out. Well, Hillary had only been gone about 20 minutes, and Highway 1 is a bear to drive. I immediately told Jim I had to come back to the camper, to call Hillary. I was relieved when she answered the phone and said she had just pulled into her driveway. And, that their power was off as well. In our quick conversation, the power came back on.
It's amazing how quickly, when the power goes out in a campground, flashlights appear. A couple of flashlights came on, in the hands of our fellow campers, as they were standing in line for beans. Makes you think they walk around with flashlights in their pockets!
After cleanup of the tables, re-arranging the chairs and getting the clubhouse back in order, there were two tables being set up for marbles/jokers almost immediately. I was pleased to see that Jim was in the mix and was being included in the games. There were 12 people playing last night, six to a table, three to a team. I watched a while, excused myself and, again, did what I do best, curl up in the bed with a book.
This morning's conversation started like most mornings, are we going to Key West to the Lee's or not? Neither of us, Jim, nor myself, could make a decision. So, after a couple of hours, I made the decree. We will stay here this morning, go down to the Lee's this afternoon and go out to eat with them at the Rusty Anchor as Hillary had suggested yesterday.
With this monumental decision made, I did some laundry, cleaned some mirrors and floors here in the camper and took off the trash.
I am not sure I have mentioned - Linda, the manager here has been gone for about 4 weeks. Her mother was critically ill back in Ohio, and I am sorry to say her mother did pass away on Sunday.
It was announced at chili beans last night that she was expected back into the camp on Friday about 2:00.
Earlier in the week, when I walked by Linda's campsite, I noticed her carpeting and all around the campsite, was full of leaves and trash.
So, when I took off the trash, I noticed a lady on Linda's porch. I introduced myself and wondered aloud to the lady if I might could sweep and pick up leaves outside the camper. The dear lady acknowledged that yes, she thought that may be a good idea. She is Linda's husband's Mother and was coming by to feed the cats. I mentioned that I would run my idea by Donna, at the office, and if I got an okay, I would be returning with my broom and trashbags in hand.
Donna gave me the okay, so, I was fortunate to spend about an hour at Linda and Joe's cleaning up a little, outside their camper, and I made a new friend, Joe's Mother, Judy, in the process.
I worked myself up an appetite and got myself some chips and a sandwich when I got back to the camper. Hillary and Donnie called at about the same time. I had asked Donnie to go by the beach house, if he was in the area, just to check it out, and Hillary was calling to see what we were doing.
Beach house report - all is good, except that the gecko we have on the front porch shutter had fallen down and Donnie says he is cold!
I told Hillary that we would be coming down there later for a visit and dinner.
Jim moved the camper up a little this morning just trying to get us a little more sunshine on the lot. We discovered a small patch of sunshine on the very edge of the front of the lot and we were standing there having a long conversation about sunshine spots. Dale, a camp worker, came by and said "I see you are looking for a sunny spot!"
The Palm Tree that Jim has been displaying inside the camper, on the front dash area, may be moving to the yard. Jim installed the filter screen, allowing a no-see inside and protection for the window, yet allowing us to see outside. But, the palm tree is not that visible with the filter screen.
So, as I type this, Jim is finding an outside spot for the palm tree, and even winding clear Christmas lights around the trunk of the tree that Gabby climbed last week. If, once done, and he likes the outcome, we will have clear lights going up a tree and a little palm tree on the ground next to the tree trunk. Jim is always fine tuning his projects so I'll let you know if this experiment is a keeper.
In closing, I found it pretty interesting, when earlier in the week, we heard on television that Florida was the only state in our 50 States that did not get snow this week. I wondered aloud about Hawaii and Jim reminded me of snow on the mountain ranges there that were formed by valcanoes. So, we have had a snow covered nation haven't we, except for this bottom corner of our world?
Our current project area in the Lee yard
You can pretty much get lost in there! And, I should note, although I haven't seen any scorpions, Jim has, so I was very aware while I crawled around in this tropical forest on my hinny!
Hillary holding Lily who is sleeping the sleep that only children can grasp.
Gabby just simply excited!
Jim and Gabby on their walkabout - that is the office door directly in front of them.
And, let the cookoff begin!
I do not know the gentleman in the foreground. The man in the black jacket to the left is Floyd, his wife Terry, is Standing next to JoAnn. JoAnn and her husband Niels are the couple that celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary here last year by providing a shrimp dinner for the camp.
This table is still 'in line' for chili. Jim and I were sitting at the table in the center of the picture. Jim had stepped away and, of course, you can see where I sit, based on the number of tasting cups I had in front of me! As I said, I took this contest seriously!! :)
The Chili Bean Pot Lineup
Also, let it be known - I did not 'enhance' my chilis with cheese, onion, or sour cream. I wanted the pure chili bean to test!
hey i won my ball game last night,ate pizza. looks like you are all having fun.
ReplyDeletelove huntley