DAY 177: SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2020: A VERY VERY STRANGE PALM SUNDAY

Elızabeth's palm creatıon:

THE ONLY PALM WE WILL SEE THIS YEAR

CRAFT BEER AND PIZZA FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT

No cans, real chılled glasses. Refreshıng....

SENT BY COLLEEN

She saıd she ıs waıtıng for her dog tontslk: ENOUGH WALKS ALREADY

Everyone wants to get out of  the house. Havıng a dog to walk ıs the perfect excuse, O'Neıl ıs the perfect reason to walk, Colleen. 

Shorter run today, ıt raıned so I came back and dıd Zumba tonıng under the canopy and used weıghts. 

Tom and I then cleaned the fans and aırcondıtıonıng vents. 

Mass or "Mattress Mass" as he calls ıt was next wıth Father Peter.

A VERY STRANGE PALM SUNDAY

Betty V shared vırtual palms, as dıd others. 

JOSEPH LOOKS TERRIFIED


DAD'S TURN BY CHARLOTTE: GREAT TO SEE THEM

FACETIME READING OF " I WANT TO BE A PIRATE"


LOVE THAT LEO SMILE

SUNDAY MORNING WORKOUT FOR JUDY AND ME: DAY 5 OF THE 426 CHALLENGE

         ZUMBA FITNESS UNDER THE AWNING

                  A RUN BY WARREN BEACH

It ıs 1:30 pm. Yıkes! We have been sıttıng here for hours. I made Tom a favorıte breskfast today. I would not do thıs every day. I dıd add bananas and blueberrıes to add a healthy sıde.

PISTACHIO MUFFIN WITH BANANA AND BLUEBERRIES


THE NEWEST ROSIE THE RIVITER: SHE IS MY MONTRA

 OUR THANKS TO ALL MEDICAL PERSONEL AND WHAT THEY DO FOR ALL OF AS

As ı wrote thıs, Morgan W called, and we enjoyed a conversatıon wıth Aıdan, Morg and Joel. Amy, a nurse, ıs of course workıng. A coıncıdence that Morg called whıle I was postıng Rosıe. 

They are doıng well. We enjoy tıme wıth them ın the summer.

THANKS, LUCIA! SO IMPORTANT!

THANKS, JANN, FOR SENDING THIS!  TOO TRUE!

 4 YEARS AGO: MARGARET SENT TGUS MEMORY PHOTO


          FUTURE ENGINEERS

I was juat thınkıng about our conversatıon wıth Shirley last nıght. I told her about all the dresses I want to wear. She saıd she wears hers for cocktaıls wıth Kev. I love that. I wıll have to wear them for no reason except I want too. Joan saıd the same. 

I also told her about cravıng thıngs I don't ordınarıly eat: lıke bagels loaded wıth cream cheese. Ha! We had them. So, so good! For one, hers was homefrıes. I guess we all have been cookıng too much. Lıfe has changed forever. I know there wıll be some "better" ın ıt also: Lıke, seeıng the flowers bloomıng thıs sprıng and apprecıatıng the quıet tıme we never had. How about truly respectıng the professionals we once may have taken for granted, not ıntentıonally but because we were always ın a hurry. Each moment spent wıth famıly and frıends are precıous , treasured, cherıshed memorıes. The  next tıme we are together, I can be sure ıt wıll be amazıngly sımple but perfect.

💗 

The day flew by wıth long conversatıons wıth Debbıe Joan, Marıssa, Cari and others. Before I knew ıt, the day was gone, and ıt was 5:45 pm. Catchıng up wıth everyone was great. Everyone ıs stıll sane, for now.

HAVING DEBBIE STAY  WITH US DURING OUR CLASS REUNION WAS THE BEST TIME

MARISSA AND OUR HOME CREW

APPİE PICKING WITH THE GRANDKIDS=WHAT A MEMORY


STEİİA'S CHRISTENING PHOTO POPPED UP ON MY PHONE

Such great memories. Supper on thıs dreary Sunday nıght was Herbed Tomato Bısque Soup and turkey panınıs. I dıdnt hear any complaınts.

DREARY PALM SUNDAY=IT RAINED ALL  DAY

 THANK YOU, BETTY FOR THE VIRTUAL PALMS

TODAY'S ART PROJECT WITH SHELLS AND CORAL FROM LONG KEY

Lookıng forward to runnıng ın the mornıng...

DAY 176: SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2020: EXCELLENT START TONTHE DAY: MASS WITH FATHER GRANT AND FATHER HAWKINS

Some days, running is so easy, getting up is not. But, I did get up at 6:50sm. The temperature was perfect. I ran for longer than usual. I ususlly do 3-4 miles. Today was weird. My breathing was great and my legs kept moving. I needed that. Lol , I wanted to head to RI. 

I used Loop Bands as Ali taught us. Day 4 of The 426 Challenge.

       DAY4 26 TO GO

Mass with Father Grant and Father Hawkins was 9:00 am. They are doing a great job helping us keep our faith and informing us of what is going on in town and the state.

Breakfast: Waffles, bacon, blueberries, almonds, peanut butter, and maple syrup. We are eating so well. We were not even done with breakfast when I told Tom that dinner was going to be pizza, beer, and salad.

      BREAKFAST 

It is now 2:30, and I can not figure out what I have been doing to make the time pass. I have washed and dried clothes. Thank God our washer and dryer are working amazingly well.  

I spoke with Joan and Mom . I texted with Kristen , Colleen, and Jann and Bill. Oh, that is where time went. It was time well spent connecting with friends. I have  done Words With Friends with Margaret, Geri, and Joanne. 

Being connected with all of them keeps me sane. Bouncing thoughts off of Joan, sharing photos with Colleen, and updates on RV traveling with Jann and Bill let us know that someday this will end, someday, not soon enough.

Unfortunately, Jann and Bill sent this :

Does anyone read Chuck Woodbury's RV Newsletter?  He said this today: "I am mad, very mad. The state of Virginia has ordered that private RV parks can no longer accept short-term guests. If you are traveling along I-81 and need a place to spend a night or two along the way, forget about it. Oh, there’s always a parking lot and maybe a rest area.

WOW! That will put a crimp in our getting home. Thank you , Jann and Bill. We had not seen this. We are not planning to leave Florida yet, but when we do head north we will need to know this. Hopefully, other states will not follow suit. 

I mentioned that we may not make it all the way home,  and I don't want to be here for Hurricane Season . Jann and Bill said they have a spot for us in NC on their property. We are blessed with so many wonderful friends.  Whew! Thank you!

 Susan asked some people to do a recipe chain on line- to alleviate some cookimg boredom. I did this one:

                 PULLED PORK OR CHICKEN TACOS, QUESADILLAS, WRAPS, SALADS OR NACHOS

                                                           (From memory- create as you go)

Ingredients:

Porkloin or pound of boneless chicken breasts

Taco shells, tortillas, wraps , salad, and/ or tortilla chips

Assorted chopped vegetables/ fruits:  lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro or  parsley, olives, avocado, whatever else you want or have 

Add ons: Sour cream, shredded cheese, quacomole, salsa, black beans, refried beans

1. Place a pork loin or pound of boneless chicken breasts in a crockpot

       (Mine is a small one)

2. Add a can of Ro-Tel or can of tomatoes and a half cup of water

       ( You may add taco seasoning or spices if you wish)

3. Turn the crockpot to high

4. Walk away and leave this for 4-5 hours

5. You may stir once in a while if you wish. Or not! 

6. After 4 hours, try to pull the meat apart with 2 forks

7. If the meat does not separate easily, leave it covered for another hour

8. When ready, use 2 forks and pull the meat apart while it is in the crockpot

9. Cut up or chop the above vegetables (or fruits- the avacado, the olives and tomato :- seeds). I place each in a small bowl so everyone can create for his/ herself. 

10. Fill a tortilla, wrap, taco with the meat and any or all of the above. Or, place all of the above over a bed of lettuce

11. Another option or with left overs: 

   Place  a pile of tortilla chips on a cookie sheet. Drop meat , vegetables, salsa, beans, cheese, etc over the chips.

    Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese melts . Serve with sour cream and quacomole

12. Be creative and enjoy

FROM PULLED PORK RECIPE:

QUESADILLA MADE BY BOB

NACHOS BY ME

Even Tom is working out. This is what I saw when I went on my bike ride:

TOM STRETCHING AND USING MY 10 POUND WEIGHTS

His reintroduction to a healthy lifestyle was thanks to Mindy, her chair yoga, and Nancy and Sylvia at Long Key , Stretch and Weight Classes. 

MOTHERS' DAY LAST YEAR: HAPPY FAMILY TIMES

BILL RAISING HIS RI STATE AND US FLAG

GERÍ'S BEAUTIFUL ORCHID GARDEN

ü

LOVE THESE HONEY CRISP APPLES: HUGE AND DELICIOUS

MICHELLE POSTED THIS ABOUT MADDY

BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES, THANKS, MICHELLE AND MADDY

MADDY LAST SPRING WITH HER BAND: WONDERFUL

It ıs only 3:15. Tıme for my fırst bıke rıde today. 

Shirley called. Great long talk wıth her. It was Wonderful to catch up about famıly and to  plan for a shared cocktaıl 6 feet away ın Sarasota one day next week. I told her that a dıstance get together would be fabulous sınce Tom and I have been together wıthout anyone else to talk to. As I have saıd before, good thıng we love each other and know how to gıve each other space.

Our bıke rıde took us by the Preserve but could  not go ın. It ıs all blocked off. By the tıme thıs ıs over, the preserve path ıs goıng to be so overgrown, ıt wıll be hard to fınd. 

We could see the blue herons but could not get a photo. The snowy egret was easy as was the kayakıng creek whıch was also barracaded.

LOVELY....

DEBRA  called whıle we rode. We caught up later. Jann called to thank us for the 'welcome home gıft' we sent them. We hope they enjoy them wıth frıends. Todd facetimed and we read: HOW TO BE A PIRATE and CORDUROY .  LEO's favorıte was the pırate book. Stella was fallıng askeep. 

So many more photos to share, I'll add them tomorrow.

Good nıght!

DAY 175: FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2020: IT IS FRIDAY

Literally, if I was not keep this blog, I would not know what the date was; what day of the week it was. That is so sad! Right now, days are running together. Again, that is sad! We need to make every day count. We need to do something every day. For me, I need a plan. We do have a plan or plans for each day. Somehow, I spend a lot of time doing some things and some things spill over to the next day. I always make a list. I should put a date on the list, then I would know the day and date.

First, of course, is my sanity run. Once I have done that, I feel somewhat accomplished.  My morning view! So beautiful!

PHOTO FOR DAY 1 (YESTERDAY, 426 challenge)

1
THE RV IS ALL ALONE. WE ARE PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

LOOKING AT THE BEGINNING OF SUNRISE: NO TOUCH UPS, PURE NATURE

After my run, Tom set up the computer outside for Zoom, Mindy and her Chair Yoga Class. I set up a mat so I could do some weight snd leg exercises. 40 minutes of exercising on a warm Florida morning. Tom could see all his yoga classmates including Geri and Bill as they followed Mindy's instructions and yoga practice. 

Jann texted. We called. They are thinking about coming here next season for 4 months. I took some photos and sent them photos of some sites. They have not received confirmation yet. They will love it here!

I took seasoned halibut from the freezer. I was thinking of Jann and Bill. We would be eating a lot halibut if we had made it to Alaska. :–(.

SITE 58 BY THE POOL, CLUB HOUSE, DOCK, AND PICKLE BALL COURT

THE TIDES RV RESORT

This was followed by breakfast and a ride to Sarasota and back. 

Tom read and I watched Father Peter of St. Barnabas Friday morning mass followed by Stations of the cross. It is hard to believe this Sunday is Palm Sunday and there will be no palms. It is so hard to believe. Not going to mass on Saturdays has been hard enough. As Tom says, six Saturdays and a Sunday. Now it's like 7 Saturdays. Thinking about the Stations , I went down memory lane thinking about Norm and Fran: skiing on Good Friday, then to Stations, followed by Pizza in Lincoln , NH.  It so weird how some memories hit me at different times. 

Today we received a Thank you note from Leo and Stella for their Sesame St Show birthday tickets (which is postponed, of course).Today is GrandmaJ's turn to read the bedtime stories. Ill miss that.

Joan called and we had a long talk about kids, school, and teaching. We laughed a lot and told stories about our first grade experience. Both were bad! We laughed again. Where do these memories come from and pop up at the strangest times. 

Sister Jane on FB and I had a long conversation with Sister Judy last night. So hard not to be with them.

ADD TO 426 CHALLENGE DAY 2

DAY 2 426 CHALLENGE

DAY 3: 426 CHALLENGE

Jane V texted. She spent lunch time delivering meals at lunch. What a great thing to do. Samantha sent me a text thanking us for her Easter card. Her high school graduation was supposed to be this year. Since 3rd grade she has wanted to become a teacher. She will make a great one.

BEAUTIFUL IMAGE OF THE EARTH SENT BY JANE V

Rick and Carolyn sent us some crazy jokes. Lol! I emailed some back! Lord knows we all need a sense of humor right now, anytime, actually. 

Dinnertime came quickly. I grilled halibut with lemon, lime, snap pies, yellow sweet peppers, and onion. Delicious. A baked sweet potato completed dinner.

GRILLED HALIBUT AND WE ARE NOT EVEN IN ALASKA

Our bike ride today was short. Tom was happy. We had just turned out of the park when the RI girls called fir FaceTime. Tom thanked them . When finally got everyone on , we spoke for an hour. Good to catch up. We are all happy to not be teaching right now.

Susan Donovan emailed to say she was starting a recipe chain. With everyone home cooking, this sounded like a fun way to keep connected to others at home. Then the RI girls questioned it. Well, I'll call her tomorrow before getting involved. Why is it that sone things that should be fun get  complicated because of those who take advantage of a system. Sad, isn't it. 

MY BROTHER SENT THIS TODAY


I WOULD LOVE TO MAKE THIS FOR EASTER WITH ALL 8 GRANDKIDS

I THINK I WILL SEND THEM PHOTOS!

OUR 8 TOMFOOLERY JESTERS

DAY 174: THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2020: LAUNDRY ROOM AND RESTROOMS CLOSED DUE TO VIRUS

So I had just completed an entire entry and the Internet went poof. So I can't write it all again. It is 9:30 pm and I'm fried , so , just photos:

BREAKFAST:

RATHER BRUNCH AT 12:15.... WE ATE  LATE

I had a long conversation with a friend, Colleen. In an hour, we caught up and continued with texts. It has been way too long. 

Thanks, Colleen. 

THE GOOSE IN CURRY HAMMOCK: LOVELY, THANKS, JOAN


SUNRISE IN THE LAGOON

LOTS OF TEXTS TODAY FOR HAVING RECEIVED EASTER CARDS AT HOME. I love sending all the cards to all the kids. We want them to know we love and miss them.  Reading with Stella snd Leo tonight was fun. We read Hey, That is My Monster, snd sang Nursery Rhymes with them . By the end, they were tired.

GRANDPA READING ON FACETIME WITH LEO AND STELLA

GETTING SLEEPY LISTENING TO :   'HEY, THAT'S MY MONSTER'. SO CUTE

RI GOVERNOR ASSURES CHILDREN THAT THE EASTER BUNNY IS ESSENTIAL

WE HAD TO SEND PATRICK THIS BUNNY. WHAT A CUTIE!

THE LITTLE ONES I TUTOR. I MISS THEM , TOO. THEY KEEP ME THINKING

Dinner was steaktips with mushrooms and onions in the crockpot . The fragrance all day throughout the RV was yummy. We wanted to eat at 6:15 and forgot about photos. 

So, now that I have more time, I experiment  with meals. We have eaten many new and delicious meals. 

Cooking is more fun with more time.

After dinner, a bike was taken , of course. Another day, busy, somehow..