Remember When we Just Had Fun and Wore Sandals?

Terry said it again today:  "remember when we just had fun and wore sandals" as we were on our way to the Ocala Eye Clinic, here in The Villages, at the Laurel Manor Medical Complex not far from us.

I had some blurred vision in my left eye and made an appointment as I wanted to get it checked out.  Also, wanted them to look at the stye on my right eye (which is better, but not completely gone).

I was impressed with their operation.  After a lot  of tests, I was seen by Dr. Vishwanath Srinagesh (Dr. Vish).  He put plugs into the tear ducts of both eyes to help with the dry eye.  He also suggested a vitamin that they sold and a heat compress that they also sold.  I'll be trying the compress tonight, and start the vitamins tomorrow.

After my appointment, I told Terry I would take her to lunch.  We went to Lil Bits Cafe in the neighborhood for lunch.

After resting, Ethel joined us to eat leftovers (Steve returns tomorrow).

We are now reading (yes, I can finally see after having my eyes dilated).

Terry talked with Barbara Lindquist and we have a date for Feb. 5 to see her and Bernie.

She also talked to her girls.  Her car had to be moved out of her garage, as they were doing some work in the garage.  Mindy and Glenn brought her car to Stacy's garage.

COLD DAY

This has been a January for the record books as far as cold weather goes.  Today was another cold day.  We have high hopes for February and warmer weather.

After lunch, we walked across the street to play mah jongg at Arlene and Joan's.  Ethel joined us too.

Terry took the photo, so she is not in the photo.

I had terrible hands and only had one mah jongg. The jokers did not like me!  Terry did a little better, but not much.

We decided to go to dinner at Olive Garden.  Steve left this morning for home for a few days to take care of some business so there was just the five of us.

Tonight is the State of the Union Address and we plan to boycott it.

Warmer but Overcast

We thought we would go sightseeing, but everything we thought we might like to see was a couple of hours away.

So, we decided to go to the stores that we had not yet visited - a little retail therapy does wonders on an overcast day.

Terry had a credit at Stein Mart and we had not been there at all this year.  She got an adorable top there.

Went to the Dollar Tree in the adjacent shopping center and picked up some items.

Then we went to Belk's where we had not been at all this year.  We did not buy anything, but it is always fun to look.

We went to Hallmark, in the same shopping center with Belks, as we needed bar mitzvah cards.  We are missing our cousin Ryan's bar mitzvah,  Of Sandy and Sonny's seven grandchildren, this is the first we have had to miss..

Came home to eat our Saturday leftovers and finish the red wine from Terry's cooking yesterday.

We both did some laundry and are spending the evening reading and catching up on emails and Facebook.

Shark Tank Viewing

I worked in the morning and Terry started cooking early.  She was making beef tips in wine sauce.

I spent most of the rest of the day just reading and napping.  It was one of those kinds of days- rainy and dreary..

At 6 p.m. Arlene and Joan and Ethel and Steve came over for dinner.  Everyone enjoyed their beef tips in wine sauce over noodles.

Terry had set her alarm so that we could watch Shark Tank. A young man, from one of the high schools in the same district that her grandchildren attend, was going to be pitching his product (a tie for gym weights so they don't fall off the bar).  His name is Martin Dimitrov, and three sharks went in to support his company.

Arlene, Marilyn, Steve

Joan, Terry, Ethel

Watching Shark Tank

Martin Dimitrov - on Shark Tank

I helped Terry clean up and then took out the garbage (in the rain).

Ice House Theatre

We had a quiet morning, though we both did some work.

We picked up Arlene and Joan and headed to Mount Dora to go to the Ice House Theatre to see The Fox on the Fairway. The GPS took us to the wrong place and we had to reprogram her using the address rather than just the name of the theatre.  Good thing we left plenty of time to get lost.

It was a funny play with a lot of twists and turns about two country clubs and their golf match.

Arlene and Joan ran into some people that they knew from the former Jewish Singles Group (now defunct).  They invited us to join them for dinner.

13 people for dinner at Angelo's (12 women and one man).  The food was good and we have leftovers for Monday's dinner.

My box was at the mail station, so I've been busy opening mail, while Terry was doing laundry.

Mah Jongg

We set up the house for two tables of mah jongg.

Diane brought her new set which she had not played on before.  She got the set when she was helping a widowed friend with a garage sale and he came out of the house with the mah set and gave it to her!  She was thrilled.  She had not owned her own set before.  We christened it.

Terry hosted one table in the sun room, and I hosted the one in the dining room.  After a few hands, we started having the east at each table trade spots.

Present were:  Joy, Joyce, Diane, Ethel, Arlene and Joan.

Everyone had at least one mah jongg.

Here's one of Marilyn's winning hands.  1-7 in Cracks - all doubletons!!!!  And, we were NOT playing for money.

Forgot to take any people photos.

After everyone left, we got the house back to normal and then went to Publix to get the rest of the items for Sunday's dinner.

We are reading now - more fun in the fast lane.

Arlene and Joan were going to Temple tonight and we are eager to hear how the Temple is doing after their election.  I guess the original choir is not coming back, over artistic differences with the Rabbi.

We will go again next month and hopefully it will not be as painful as the last time.

Thursday's Post Got Lost

Strange - Thursday's post got lost in cyberspace.

We started the morning working, while the cleaning lady, Cheryl, cleaned our house.  We got her from one of the neighbors of Arlene and Joan.

She did a great job and we are nice and sparkling clean. Set a date for her to come at the end of February.

We had a quick bite to eat and then picked up Arlene to go to Sam's Club (she's a member).

On the way there, we stopped at Chase Bank and also at the Imaging place for Terry to get a copy of her scan.

Terry bought lamb chops, salmon, chicken and something for our company on Sunday.

We stopped at Publix so Arlene and Terry could run in for a few items.  I waited in the car and called the Township while I was waiting.

We had some of the lamb chops for dinner - it had been quite awhile since either of us had lamb chops.

Did some laundry and read - again, life in the fast lane.

Grammar School/High School Pals

Got up early to do some work so we could play - again!

Diane and Tom picked us up at 10 a.m. for our ride to Sarasota to meet our friend Sandy.

We arrived two and a half hours later at the Indigo Hotel, in Sarasota. The Dining Room.  (Just some tables in the lobby) had good food  We originally were going to go to DryDock, on the water, in Longboat Key,  but it was a cold day.

Sandy arrived a little later (Danny was sick so she drove up from Sanibel by herself),

Tom, Diane, Sandy, Marilyn, Terry

We talked for hours and did not get home until around 6 p.m.

By 6:30, we were in our pj's and each had a little something to eat.  Terry ice cream and Marilyn crackers with peanut butter and jelly.

We all kept saying that it was a long way to go for lunch, but it was fun catching up.

Mindy called to give us an update. Miranda got accepted to some more colleges.  She has not gone to school because her numbers have been up and down.  They keep adjusting her insulin and hope that they can get it to where she can go to school.  She has a continuous monitor which they are loving.

Glenn has a cold and was home today too.  Mindy is going crazy with end-of-year business and
1099's and some sick staff members.

Slept in

It was so nice to stay in bed a little later and not have to rush to get up and out.

We both worked at catching up this morning, and by doing some laundry.

We did not get dressed until after lunch (our mother is rolling/spinning in her grave).  She always got up and got dressed,  Bless her heart-we are such a disappointment!

After lunch we went to Chase to make a deposit and those nice people gave me some money.

Next we got some cards and other items at Dollar Tree.  Made a quick stop in Bealls Outlet where Terry found a cute jacket.

Next was Publix and some grocery shopping.  We had a good dinner of salmon and crab cakes.and veggie tots.

We both spent the rest of the evening reading and texting with our friends with whom we have plans for tomorrow.

Terry was reading today's paper and read our horoscope - boy, does that say everything about my day today.

Up at the crack of dawn - again

Got up early to work so I could play.

About 10 a.m., cousins Andee and Chuck came to the house and we did some more exploring of The Villages.  This time we showed them the new section of Fenney, which is unattached to the existing Villages property.

We showed them the neighborhoods there and the walking trail with the stream running through.

We thought we would eat at the Grill there, but it was a 45 minute wait.  We decided not to wait and went to TooJays in Brownwood.  We all had something different.  Andee had tongue on rye, something she rarely gets, so she was a happy camper.  Chuck had fish and chips and Terry and I had salads.

We came back to the house and they were on their way to Orlando.  Andee posted photos of the condominium they rented for the next 5 days as they explore Universal, etc.  Looks like a lovely place.

Terry and I rested and then went to Spanish Springs Town Center for market night.  We had sandals on and were happy.  Spanish Springs Town Center was a zoo, everyone came out to hear the music and shop market night.  Big lines at the bars too.  First nice night, so everyone was out.

We came home in time for me to open my mail (big, heavy box) and then go into the Township meeting.  After the Township meeting, I was on a conference call with the Sisterhood Nominating Committee.

Arlene and Joan went to a concert and ran into Diane and Tom!  Diane called me on Joan's telephone (as she left her telephone at home) to ask if we want to go to a concert at St. Tim's on Feb. 1st.  We said yes, so she bought some tickets.

Joan and Arlene decided to get tickets too, but were not sure which concert Diane had purchased tickets for - 3 p.m. or 7 p.m.  I said I thought it was 7 p.m.  Diane called later to confirm it was 7 p.m.

Terry was reading and talking on the telephone while I was in my meetings.

Milwaukee Cousins

Got up early to work so we could play with our cousins, Andee and Chuck.

We picked them up at 9 a.m. at the Towne Place Suites, by Marriott, in Spanish Springs.  Took a ride to show them the three squares and the Eisenhower Recreation Center.

Andee got cut out of the first photo as Terry took the photo in the sun and thought she was in the photo only to discover she was not.

Andee mentioned that she forgot her watch at home and wished she was further south in Florida so she could get a cheap watch at a flea market.  She did not need any flea market further south, when we have The Markets of Marion.  So, off we went to the Markets of Marion where she found a cheap watch.

Since we were up north and wanted to take them to a country club, we decided to go to Lopez for lunch.  Everyone enjoyed their lunch, while sitting on the porch looking out over the golf course.

We had a little rain (not predicted) but other wise a nice day - warming up to the high 60's.

We dropped them off at their hotel.  Terry signed them up for the trolley tour from the Spanish Springs Welcome Center.  They reported that it was a great tour of the Historic Side and went up as far as the Polo Field.

We went to Lake Miona Recreation Center to see a Neil Simon Play.  It's two hours of our lives that we will never get back.  It was only $10 for the tickets and it benefits charity, so it was okay.  We met Arlene and Joan there and they went on to dinner and we went home to rest.

Andee and Chuck had tickets for Tommy Tune and Chita Riveria, at the Sharon.

Their show started at 6 p.m. and was out at 7:30.  We made a reservation for dinner at 7:45 at
Demshar's, in Spanish Springs.  We got there a little early and found parking right in front of the restaurant, and then walked over to listen to the music in the square before going to the restaurant to wait for Andee and Chuck.  We all enjoyed our dinner.

We will see them in the morning before they head to Orlando.

Where Did The Sun Go?

It was a little warmer today, but the sun kept hiding.

Got up early again to answer student questions so I could play the rest of the day.

After breakfast, we picked up Arlene and Joan to go to the Yalaha Bakery to hear our favorite group - Patchouli.

It was cool and we were bundled up and Julie and Bruce had warmers for their hands so they could play their guitars.

We had lunch at the Bakery and then went on to Art in the Park in Lake County.  We also stopped into the Hospital Resale store across the street from Art in the Park.  Arlene, Terry and I all bought something.

We left there and went on to Walmart, CVS and Walgreens.

At Walgreens, we bought a blood-pressure cuff.  With the awards discount and the $35 awards certificate, we paid less than $7 for the $52 blood-pressure cuff.  We love our bargains.

We came home to eat leftovers and do laundry.

We are now watching the new Will and Grace.

"Remember When we Just had Fun in the Villages and wore sandals?"

"Remember when we just had fun in The Villages and wore sandals?" That was Terry's question to me as we drove home from her CT scan of the brain.

Okay,, so I'm getting ahead of myself.

The day started out with me getting up at the crack of dawn to answer student questions.  Then with us going to Terry's beautician, Vanessa, (this is the third place that she has been in since we have been coming down for two months).  I've had someone different each year.  Vanessa is now in a little incubator of personal--care shops.  She took care of both of us.  Of course, every year the price goes up.  Boy, do we recognize what a bargain we are getting at home - with tip it was almost triple what we pay at home.

Terry had woken up with a headache and was concerned that there might be a blood clot that was causing the nosebleeds and the headache.  She had fallen a month ago and the headache was in the spot on which she fell.

We decided to get it checked out.  The nurse at the Urgent Care at CVS had recommended Paramount Urgent Care as they have longer hours and a higher level of care.  We decided to go there.  There were about six people ahead of us so we had a wait.

The nurse, took some tests and thought everything checked out okay, but wanted to be sure that there was no internal bleeding in the brain, so sent us to Sand Lake Imaging, across the parking lot.  We had a shorter wait there.  Terry was in and out fairly quickly.  She had a slight temperature and her blood pressure was high.  No one seemed too concerned about either of those issues, if everything else checked out.  We will get a blood-pressure monitor tomorrow.

We came home to have some lunch/dinner  (which our trusty microwave and I prepared) and Urgent Care called and said that the CT scan was negative.  Yes, Terry has a brain - but no bleeding.

We have been resting and reading.

Terry texted her girls with what was happening so they would not be reading it here.

This is Florida????

This morning it was 17 degrees in Des Plaines and 27 degrees in The Villages.  Something is wrong with this picture!

Tonight is another freeze warning.  People have had their plants covered for days now.

We got up early, I worked for an hour, had a quick breakfast and were out the door for the second half of our Smart Driver Course, conducted by AARP.  Just sent the certificate to my auto insurance company.  We are good for another 3 years.

From there, we went to Panera in Spanish Springs.  Terry had a  rewards card that had to be used by the end of the week and we each had our favorite soup.  Me-chicken wild rice, Terry - cheddar broccoli.

Stopped into Lowe's but they did not have what I wanted.

Then stopped into Dollar Tree.  Terry's nose bleed started again when we got into the car, so I took her home.

I went on to Publix and Ace Hardware (to return something).

Came home and Terry was resting.

I made dinner (the microwave and I are an unbeatable team) and we are reading and resting. 

We went to set up the second humidifier in the living room, that we bought at CVS, only to learn that it did not work.  So, that is an errand for tomorrow after the beauty shop.

Life's Detours

I worked a good part of the morning and did laundry.  Felt very productive.

Terry did some catching up too.

Had a lazy day until Terry had her second nose bleed of the week.  We were concerned so decided to forego our evening plans (The Windy City Club with Diane and Tom) for CVS Minute Clinic.

After a wait, she was seen by the nurse on duty and she is okay except her nose is very dry.  We bought humidifiers.

She made dinner (yes, I let her cook) and I did the dessert (grapes - I know, not too hard) and I did the dishes.  Kitty, the administrator in the Township Office, thought it was terrible that I let Terry cook, so I made a video of Terry saying she was okay.

She had another bloody nose after dinner.

She has installed her humidifier in her bedroom and we are hoping that helps.

It had been cold out and we have had the heat on and it is very dry in here.

Sun is out and it is pleasant

Nice day.

I worked a good part of the morning and then after lunch we went to run some errands.

Started at Ace Hardware for light bulbs - came home to find they don't match the other bulbs in the dining room fixture

Went to Chase to get a supply of the $2 bills that I give the kids.

On to Beall's - we did not find anything.  Terry had seen an ad for something but did not see it.

Went to .Goodwill and I bought a sweater and a scarf for my new coat.  Terry got a couple of tops.

Went to the postal station and my box was there and a good amount of Terry's mail.  Color us both happy.

Picked up Arlene and Joan to go to Bonefish for their Tuesday night special dinner.  Good thing we had reservations.  They were telling people that it was a 55 minute wait.  Food was delicious, though it was very noisy.  We were able to get a discount too using our AARP cards - sucn a deal!  Terry had a gift card and treated me to dinner!!!



We are going to watch Finding Your Roots..

Martin Luther King - a giant among men

Remembering Martin Luther King on this day.

We were up and out early as we had a class.  Yes, we are taking a class - AARP's Safe Driving Class.

Every three years we take it down here and get credit against the cost of our car insurance.  It's easier to take it down here as we have the time and fewer distractions.

We go back for the second half on Thursday.  We have done our homework and are ready to go back.  Aren't we the goodie two shoes - doing our homework!

There was no Southern Belle in this class, interrupting the instructor every five minutes, as we had experienced when we took the class the first time down here.

The instructor mentioned a website that rates cars www.iihs.org  We will have to check it out.

We were hungry when we left Savannah Center so we went to Metro Diner (where Perkins had been on 466, near our house).

They were busy and we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table.

We each had a waffle.  They had chicken and waffles but we just had waffles -hold the chicken.

They have a very varied menu and I'm sure we will be back at some time in the future.

We came home to relax and read, which is what we did for the rest of the day.  I caught up on yesterday's newspaper and finished today's paper (even finishing the crossword puzzle).

The Sun is Out, but it is Cold

I slept late, as it had taken me awhile to fall asleep last night.

Terry was already up and had made coffee by the time I arose.

I did some work at my computer and did some laundry also

We had a wonderful breakfast (made by Terry).  She combined her leftover Chinese of pepper steak with scrambled eggs and it was delicious.  So nice of her to share.

We had a quick lunch, of shrimp, before picking up Arlene and Joan to go to Fenney (the new part of The Villages) to walk on their walking trail.  We decided not to go to the Sumter Sidewalk Sale, in favor of walking.

There is a lovely walking trail there.  Joan took off like a bat out of hell and did two tours around.  Terry did one round at a fairly fast pace.  Arlene did one round at a slower pace.  I did one round in a saunter - taking time to take in the beauty of the area.

A lovely couple were sitting next to us while we were relaxing and she volunteered to take our picture.  Unfortunately, her thumb is part of the photo.  If she's wanted by the FBI we have a good thumbprint!

After resting, Joan decided that she would like to see some model homes.  The only way to do that is to have an agent show you the models.  A nice young woman showed us about 6 or 7 homes.  Not once did she ask Joan for her name or contact information.  She did give her a card, but she has no idea who Joan is to follow up with her.

The Fenney Grill and Bar closes at 5 p.m., but they let us in at 4:20.  Joan, Arlene and I had burgers and Terry had a chicken sandwich.  The food was good and fairly reasonable.  We left about 5:30 and there were only a few people left in the place.  They are supposed to be open later in the coming weeks.

We took a ride down Morse Avenue and looked at the new Publix on Rt 44 East of the Rohan Center.  There is also a Chase, a Walgreen, a Chinese Buffet and some other businesses over there.

The Villages now owns a lot of the property going North of Fenney and will be connecting Fenney over Rt 44 with a bridge in the coming years.

Shark Tank will be on shortly so you know where Terry will be.  I will probably watch it too.

Lazy Day

I got up early and worked.  Terry left me a note, on my computer, saying that she had not slept well and was going to try to sleep late.

I finished my breakfast by the time she emerged from her bedroom.

She had some breakfast and threw some clothes on, but never emerged from the house.  She has read or tried to nap all day.

Arlene called and wanted to know if we wanted to go to the movies with them.  They each wanted to see a different movie that was playing at the same time.  Terry did not want to go, and I did not want to see either of the movies that they were going to.

I ran to Dollar Tree and Publix and made two trips to the postal station - no mail for either of us.  Our mail could be on trucks stuck in Kentucky or Tennessee because of bad weather.  No mail on Monday because of Martin Luther King Day.

On the second trip to the postal station, I ran into CVS for some Tylenol for Terry.

I "made" dinner.  I really just prepared a salad for Terry and warmed up my Chinese leftovers.  We had shrimp for an appetizer.

I finished the book written by the gal who spoke at the Chicagoland Club and Terry is almost finished with the book.

It is COLD here and is supposed to go down to the 30's tonight.  I know that seems warm to those up North, but it is not warm for Florida.

We have not been to the squares for evening entertainment since we got here.  I'm sure the vendors are suffering as when the entertainment is cancelled, they don't display their wares either.

Miranda got home safely from Theatre Fest at ISU and had a good time.

Jessica's bowling team won first place!  Jessica is in the center (standing).

Rain, Sun, Rain, Sun, Temple

Weird day, it poured and then the sun would come out.  It poured and then the sun would come out!

We left the house after lunch to go to the post office to get stamps (before the prices go up) and to mail Terry's check for her new car.

We were over by Goodwill so decided to stop in to see if Terry could find a belt to hold up her jeans,  She found a belt, a Chico's jacket, and navy shoes!  I found two tops and they were half price!  We love our bargains.

We picked up Arlene and Joan and met Ethel at Cheng's for dinner before going to Temple. (Steve took a pass on dinner and Temple).

The services were painful.  The choir (that used to be wonderful) was replaced by a new group,-they were NOT wonderful.

The Rabbi has lung cancer (early stage) and had trouble getting through the service.  His wife gave his sermon for him.  He finished the sermon by suggesting that the Temple go from chaos to order.  He started in July and said he had one week of a real welcome and then the chaos became apparent.

I hope they work things out, it has been a nice, friendly place these past years.

BTW:  The Rabbi's last name is Glazer.  However, he said his family was from Poland and ours was from Russia..

We stayed for a nosh and met a woman from the Boston area.  Her son and his family live in Highland Park and went to our Temple and dropped out because they saw families texting during a high holiday service.

Foggy Day in The Villages

When I went out to get the newspaper on the driveway, it was foggy.

I worked and did laundry early.

We had thought that we would go out for breakfast, but because of the fog, we decided to have breakfast at home and go out for lunch.

We went to First Watch for lunch and had their wonderful pancakes.  We each have half of our lunch in the refrigerator.

Went to Marie Rose, the consignment shop that has Chico's.  I bought a sweater and Terry got a pair of jeans.

We FOUND Entemann's Outlet!!!!!  They moved a little further North on 441/27.  Yea!  We bought a number of things there.  Color us happy!  We even had a coupon!!!  The receipt said Sara Lee!

Terry wanted to return something to Walmart so we went to the one on 441/27 and it took her forever as there was a big line.  I waited in the car and made a call to the Township.  We had stopped into the Dollar Tree over there for some cards.

Came home to rest before picking up Arlene and Joan to go to Ethel and Steve's for dinner.  We had a delicious dinner and a lot of conversation.  Ethel "cooked" but we will still let her stay in the I don't Cook Club!

 Terry, Marilyn, Joan

Steve, Ethel and Arlene

It rained while we were having dessert and had cooled off a little, but was very foggy.  It was a challenging ride home.

Terry is the owner of a White CRV (car), that Glenn found, and he and Mindy went and bought for Terry.  It will  be in Terry's garage.  Miranda is the official owner of the Honda Civic (or her parents are).  There had been a number of calls the past two days and during dinner tonight!

Here's the car in Terry's garage!

She's sending a client their bills at the moment and then we are going to bed.

Rainy Day

Today started out as a rainy day.

Here was most of our day:
Breakfast
Read
Work
Nap

Lunch
Read
Work
Nap

The sun came out and we decided to go to Walmart to pick up my prescriptions.

Had an email from our Milwaukee Cousins, Andee and Chuck - they are coming to visit and to see Tommy Tune here at the Sharon Performance Center.  We are looking forward to their visit.

After Walmart, we came home and Terry made a good dinner and we are now watching the news.  The news is so depressing - mud slides - Washington, D.C.!

Anticipating a quiet evening of reading.

Remembering our Mom, who died in 2002.  Think about her often - she was an amazing, talented, woman.

Just read that Milton Rosenberg died (he had a radio program on WGN for years).  He often reminded us of our Dad, who also could speak intelligently on any subject.

Secret Service

After breakfast, and doing some work, we left for the Chicagoland Ladies Luncheon, at Truman Rec Center, as Diane's guest.

We each had to bring a bowl of veggies to share for the  Friendship Salad.  The group supplied the lettuce, the salad dressings, rolls and dessert.

There were green tables and red tables.  We were at a green table so put our veggies on the green buffet table.  I brought carrots and Terry brought beets.

The speaker was Sue Ann Baker, who was seated at our table for lunch, and who wrote the book Behind the Shades, about her time in the Secret Service.  After her speech, we all donned sunglasses and had a group photo taken with her.

I bought the book and she autographed it.

After leaving the luncheon, we went to the Hospital Thrift shop and each bought a few things.

On to Target - they no longer carry the Kleenex boxes that I use in my car - boo-hoo.

Terry made a great spaghetti dinner with leftover chicken and veggies.  She did this between doing her laundry.

The "Old Folk's Home"

That's what Joy called it "The Old Folk's Home" when she invited us to see her new home at Freedom Pointe.  She and Bob decided to move into Freedom Pointe.  Freedom Pointe is a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community) run by Brookdale.

They bought a two-bedroom condominium in the building.  Closed on their house and moved in 20 days!  As I said to Terry, in 20 days we would still be making lists!!!

It looks like they have lived there forever and it is adorable.  She found some bargains for their living room and it is just perfect.

We had lunch at the Pub and the food was delicious.

We forgot to take a photo of Joy and Bob in their new hone, so this is the best we can do.

We went to the Dollar Tree from there and got some things the other Dollar Tree did not have.

Then went on to Publix for some things and found that we don't like the same lettuce or yogurt.  For those who are interested, we did get more wine (I know you were worried that we had finished the last of the wine).

 We had a light dinner (egg salad) as we were both still full from lunch.

At 8 p.m., I teleconferenced into the Township Meeting.  The agenda was not too bad so it was a short meeting.  They reported that it had warmed up there to about 30 degrees.  It got up to about 70 degrees here today!

Spanish Springs Craft Fair

Terry got up early to go to weigh in at Weight Watchers.  She's doing okay!!!

I worked and did laundry before we picked up Arlene and Joan at 1 p.m. to go to the Spanish Springs Craft Fair.  The sun was out and it was comfortable (not real warm).

I bought some gifts and a holder for my car sunglasses.

Terry bought some gifts too.

Smaller set up than in prior years, but well attended.

Never know who you will run into at a craft fair.

I think Terry meet him at Weight Watchers today.

The Queen was pleased to see us and agreed to have her photo taken with Terry, Arlene and Joan.

Terry made a great chicken dinner for us and we finished off the wine.  We are watching the Golden Globes.

Molly's Game

We had a lazy morning, though we both did some work. 

We had lunch and then picked up Arlene and Joan to go to the movies at Sumter Landing.  Thinking there would be a long line, we picked them up at 3:30 for a 5 p.m. movie.  We sat in the lobby until the line formed.

The movie, Molly's Game, was excellent and was based on a true story.

Sorkin’s latest film and directorial debut Molly’s Game is relatively faithful to the life of its subject, Molly Bloom (played by Jessica Chastain). The so-called “Poker Princess” ran two underground games that attracted high-rolling Hollywood stars, athletes and mobsters in the mid-2000s. It’s not surprising that the movie hews close to reality: Sorkin consulted Bloom throughout his writing process, and the screenplay borrows heavily from her memoir of the same name.

Here’s what’s fact and what’s fiction in the poker film, according to Bloom’s memoir.

She didn’t actually have a dramatic skiing fall.

In the opening scene of Molly’s Game, a young Molly skis over a twig during an Olympic qualifying run and tumbles down the mountain, sustaining a serious back injury that ends her skiing career. In a voiceover, Molly blames this twig for changing her life path from athlete to “poker princess.” But in real life, that fall never happened.

While Bloom was indeed an Olympic-level skiier, she decided to retire from skiing not after an injury but after a personal coup. Bloom did have some physical roadblocks when she was younger, with an emergency back surgery at 12 after which she was told she could no longer ski competitively. But after a year, she was back on the slopes. And in college, she made the U.S. ski team and finished third overall in the country.

We came home and had our leftovers from last night's dinner - yum!

Still COLD

Still COLD outside, but the wind has died down.

Left the house at 12:45 to pick up Arlene and Joan to get in line at the Studio Theatre.  Met Ethel and Steve and Diane and Tom.  Seats are not reserved and we needed 8 seats for the 2 p.m. performance..

The play Frankie and Johnny was "different" and it was the first time I have ever ordered tickets having to acknowledge that there was sexual content and that we were okay with it.

The play was nothing to write home about, but the acting was fairly good.

Thought  we would eat at the restaurant at The Studio, but they wanted to seat us at a table in the screened area and it was TOO COLD THERE.

Diane called The Glenview Country Club and they gave us a beautiful round table in the dining room, in a quiet corner.  Everyone enjoyed their dinner.

Stopped at the mailbox and my premium forwarded box was there and Terry had her first piece of forwarded mail. Fortunately, a gentleman, who was taller than Terry, was able to get my box out of one of the top mailboxes.

Our friend Joyce's granddaughter, Brandie Tennell, will be skating in the National Skating Championships on NBC tonight.  We have the TV set to watch her.

Update:  She won the nationals - on to the Olympics!

Errands and More Errands

Working in the morning and lunch at home.

Temps in the 50's, down to the 20's expected tonight.

We went to Beall's Outlet so Terry could return a top that was too much like one she already had.

We then headed for Entemann's.  Where, oh where is Entemann's????  Just closed and no new address,  what a bummer!!!!

Bed, Bath and Beyond for cushions for the bar stools we use for our office(s).  Great new gripper pads! Our tushes appreciate sitting on a cushy cushion rather than sitting on the hard wood.

Next: on to Anthony's where Terry learned that you cannot return FINAL SALE items!  Hope she enjoys the top that she could not return!

Publix was the last stop.  Ran into Joan - who was looking for Arlene.  They were not having too much success in shopping.   Terry saw them both, I only saw Joan.  The mystery of  which parmesan cheese to buy was solved for both Terry and Joan after much discussion.

Came home and ate leftovers (my spaghetti and meatballs from last night) and Terry had leftover steak and veggies.  Finished the champagne - hard job, but someone has to do it!

Temps Went Up to the 50's and down to the 30's

Day started out cold and rainy.

Sun appears for a few hours and we headed out on a mission - find pads for the wood chairs.

Stopped in at the Hospital Thrift Shop.  No pads, but a great buy on corning ware (what we bought last year is missing).

Big lots and Beall's Outlet - no pads, but Terry got some walking shoes.

Goodwill - some pads that we purchased - they work for the chairs, not the bar stools.  Back to the drawing board.

Dropped our purchases off and went to pick up Arlene and Joan for our ride to pick up tickets for a play later in the month at Lake Miona.

Went to Cane Garden for dinner and all enjoyed our dinners.

Marilyn participating in a conference call for WRJ-Midwest Nominating Committee.

Returned the Rental Car

it was 37 degrees when we first left the house.

Got up "early" to return the rental car.  It cost us half of what we thought it would cost (thanks to a coupon that Terry had and our returning the car early and getting a credit for Monday (as they were closed).

Went to Too Jays for our lox, onions and eggs - great!!

Stopped in next door at Hallmark, but Barbara was not there.  Terry called her and we will set a date soon to see her and Bernie.

Had to check out Anthony's and each bought something.  Went to the Beall's Outlet in the same center, but only Terry found a top.

 Ran some errands, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc., Bank of America, etc.

Came home to rest.  Joan called and they arrived - two hour wait at Budget Rent a Car!

 Had leftovers for dinner and are now watching Finding Your Roots.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018

We had a quiet morning.

Terry chopped up the veggies (our contribution to the party we were going to).

I made lunch from the leftover chicken.

We went to Diane and Tom's for their annual New Year's Day Party.  Everyone brought appetizers and Diane and Tom provided ice cream for do-it-yourself sundaes.  We played the same card game as in past years, where winners move to another table!  Fun - there were 17 of us. Present were:  Joyce, Kathy and Jack, Pat and Dick, Joanne and Jim, Karen and Tom, Karen and Doug, Carol and Stan.  Missed Gloria and Lynn.

Food was yummy!

Home now reading.  Perfect way to spend the New Year.