Extreme Makeover

We took a walk with our dogs around the neighborhood and decided to walk past the house that was just built by the Extreme Makeover show.


The house is quite large with a nice array of solar panels - you can see some of the in this picture.


Okay, okay... the picture isn't great - the sun was in the wrong position - will need to go back during an afternoon and get a better picture. Interestingly, the house next door had 2x4s holding some plastic in place on the roof, ostensibly to prevent leakage. I think there should be a show called "Extreme Repair" where 10-20 houses get much needed repairs. Just a thought.

Christmas Without God? ....yes

We received a question this year about how we can celebrate Christmas and yet not believe in a god. Terri Gross interviews Greg Epstein, a humanist chaplain, who has written a book entitled, "Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligous People Do Believe".

The Four Dogs of Christmas

Happy Christmas!

Flat Bread?

I decided to make some bread without using my breadmaker. All was well until the last rise - it then spread a little flat - I'm not terribly unhappy with it - of course, it hasn't been tasted yet. Still needs to cool.

So, tomorrow morning I'll cut a slice. This will be my learning loaf - will do better next time. Still was fun - used my dough hook for only the second time. Maybe use a bread pan for the next one.

Relax...it's all good.

Peace.

Visiting IKEA

We needed to go to Orlando this weekend and decided to make a "quick" visit to IKEA. This was my first time and I did not realize it was not possible to "quickly" tour IKEA.

Suffice it to say that another visit will be in order with plenty of dedicated time. And, avoid the holiday rush - traffic was heavy around the store and nearby mall. The cooks who read this blog will be shocked to learn that I chose not to enter Williams-Sonoma at the mall because my time was limited.
I saw a lot that I liked at IKEA. As the Terminator likes to say, "I'll be back!"

Too Good to Eat?

We'll know tomorrow.


We're hosting our monthly crime watch meeting tomorrow and usually like to offer some sort of finger food and beverage. So, it's gonna be banana bread and coffee. I was much more organized this evening - maybe because dinner was already cooked yesterday and I didn't have to worry about preparing it or cleaning up afterwards.


Mmmmmmm...I wish you could smell this! It's tempting to sample a slice - just to make sure it's edible - but I mustn't. A good hostess doesn't eat the food before her guests arrive. I can wait until tomorrow - really, I can. And I will.

Decorations are Complete!

Holiday decorations are complete inside and outside. While the crock-pot was cooking dinner we put up the lights outside. Our neighbor, Nicole, was putting her decorations out at the same time. She offered us some eggnog - which we gladly accepted - yummo! Our first eggnog of the season - and hopefully, not the last.

The eggnog reminded me to check our supply of Bailey's - it's low - will need to re-supply this week. There's nothing like Bailey's and coffee on a cold winter's night or morning. Cheers!

Crockpot Sunday

The cold weather makes me want to cook and bake. On this chilly Sunday I decided to use the crock-pot and searched for a recipe. Found "Mediterranean Beef and Pasta" on crock-pot.com. It turned out really well.

What I liked about the recipe was the simplicity of ingredients - most everything I normally have on hand in the pantry. I will make it again and tweak it slightly - add one more clove of garlic and back off the vinegar a tad.

Dinner is now cooked for tomorrow, too. Life is good.

In all kinds of weather, we all stick together...

Timmy, we love you. See more images at the Gainesville Sun.

It's amazing how much better one feels after a good night's rest. Yes, it was a hard game to watch. It's over and we're looking forward to the Sugar Bowl. This group of Gators has accomplished so much - let's finish with a win in New Orleans.

And, as always, Go Gators!

A Christmas Poinsettia

Happy Holidays!

GAME DAY!

The Swamp, where only Gators come out alive!

M took this picture walking from the parking garage to work.

Happy Post Thanksgiving!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We've enjoyed a lovely holiday so far. One of the best things about Thanksgiving is the left over food in the fridge. I love not having to cook for a few days.


Yesterday we spent an enjoyable evening in Palm Coast at the grand opening of a new business there. Our friend Anne Marshall has just opened "Lifethyme Cafe and Wellness". Anne is particularly special to us because she treated Lisa's frozen shoulder back to health. Put simply, Anne is a miracle worker. We wish her a happy and successful future.


Visit her website here and when you're in Palm Coast or nearby - stop in and say hi.

The Holidays are Upon Us!

Yes, it's that time of year. Hard to believe next week is Thanksgiving. We decided to start decorating during the Gator game. Our tree this year is totally different than in the past. It's actually a tree used to display decorations - we customized it to accommodate our bigger decorations and added the lights. Ain't it perty?

M enjoys her Dept 56 houses and Krinkles ornaments and decorations by Patience Brewster.


Happy Holidays!

Our Precious Prince and His Nurse

Boxer recently had surgery to remove, what we hope will be, a benign tumor. We are fortunate to have a very caring staff at the Vet school. Boxer's primary care physician checked on him the night of surgery and sent us this picture to assure us he was well cared for. It meant a lot to us.

And the Fun Begins....Women's Basketball!

We attended the Florida Women's basketball first game of the season on Saturday. For those that don't know, Coach Butler tore her achilles tendon and is now in a boot - she used a stool with wheels the entire game. I don't think she missed a beat. By the way, the Florida women won the game and we saw some exciting play from our freshmen. Next game is going to be a tough one against FSU on Tuesday. If you can, attend the game and give the team your support.


Alberta was making the rounds and stopped to pose with M. Sorry for the blur - it's a camera phone for goodness sake! I'll try to do better next time.


Go Gators!

Squirrel Hole

This year we didn't make enough time to carve our pumpkins so we just set them out on the front stoop. Once again the squirrels have invaded.

We'll dispense with the pumpkins soon - not sure if the squirrels are just eating it or if they're contemplating a future homesite.

Another Successful and Scary Halloween

Dead Donna and I posed together as Halloween festivities commenced. Donna outdid herself this year - scared lots of children and adults! Her timing was impeccable most of the night - many fell down as they raced away from her - no injuries, thank goodness.


Our neighbor "N" and one of her friends - they had a party across the street. N was hilarious as the "Sweeping Witch". My scar amost fell off from laughing so hard.



One of our ghouls flying over the graveyard.



Just another nightly view.

We have audio playing as "trick or treaters" come into the yard. Unfortunately, the video had to be cut off before the witch cackles - more kids were coming and we had to quickly take up of our positions for the next fright!

It was a busy and fun night. We gave out over 100 bags of candy and scared quite a lot if kids. We do sincerely apologize to those children we made cry and those who fell down trying to run away. And, we promise that next year - YOU'LL CRY MORE AND RUN FASTER! BOOOOOOOOO!

Happy Halloween!

I Smell a Cat!

Peanut smelled a cat. Unfortunately, our neighbors allow their cats to roam the neighborhood. This is a really bad idea - especially if a cat wanders into our back yard. It infuriates us because we experience the pain and trauma when something bad happens. Not to mention injuries sustained by our dogs.

Truck For Sale?

Found this on the windshield of my truck this past week as I was heading home for lunch.

The Boy

Sorry. Can't help it. I love the boy - aka Boxer. Oh yea, the evil bitch is in the pic, too.

Boo!

Pet Sitting...Tough Gig or Luxury Vacation

M is pet sitting for some friends of ours. It may be a tough gig for her. Here is a picture of Gracie, one of her charges. Darcy, the other charge, was reposing inside the house and not available for the photograph.



So, what's so tough about the gig? She has the pool, hot tub and pool table.


Well, my friends, M is missing her cook - her dinner tonight:


My dinner tonight: - a medley of asian veggies and shrimp. Yummo!

'Nuff Said

“Tiger faithful, I apologize,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “I wish we were better. We’ll work hard at it and we’ll do what we can.

I think I'm going to cry, quick, grab me a kleenex.....NOT! Go Gators!

Let's Play Ball!

When she's not chasing after the ball, Peanut's favorite thing to do is to destroy the ball. We've tried explaining to her that resources are limited and we cannot replace every ball she chews to bits. The count is four new balls so far this summer.

And yes, there was a rope that feeds through the middle - she ripped it apart on day two of the new ball.


It's really fun to pick up the ball and throw it after she's slimed it. Yuck.

Commuting Distance

As you can see my commuting distance to work is a mere .96 mile by bicycle. Gotta love it!

Neighborhood Hauntings

I saw this haunted mansion as I rode my bicycle in to work today. Hoping to have our decorations up this weekend.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Ghouls and Goblins...Coming Soon

Yes, it's that time of year again...beware!

On The Ride Again...

We've been attempting to bump up our exercise - at our age it's important to keep the joints moving. Cycling seems to be a good fit. It's less jarring on the joints and the scenery can be beautiful. Our "horses" are a couple of mountain bikes fitted with street tires. One bike is about 15 years old and the other 6. Believe it or not, they both ride like the wind.

Lately, when riding the trail we've driven (yes, we're still lightweights) to the halfway point and ridden towards Hawthorne. Today we decided to turn west and ride towards Boulware Springs. It had been a awhile since we'd seen the sites. Started late - didn't begin riding until after 10:30am. Slept in. Stayed up late watching some good college football. Thankfully, it was mostly overcast and cool during the ride.


A ride on the Hawthorne trail is not complete without a stop to view the gorgeous prairie. Those who ride this trail know the view well. We thought we might have seen some bison out there but couldn't be sure without binoculars.


This creek reminds me of the Louisiana bayou.

All in all, we had a good ride. We spent the calories burned at Ivey's with a delicious late breakfast.

Later gators.

Satchel's and Spaten - It's What's for Dinner

Pizza and beer! Is there any better dinner?

Let's Play

Coco and Boxer - Together Again

Coco and Boxer got together today for a little play-time. Actually, they didn't play as much as they used to - both are older and don't move as quickly as they used to. And it was warm outside.

Nonetheless, it was good for them to spend some time together.

Peace out.

Coco Brownie

We're checking in on our neighbor's dog this weekend. Her name is Coco Brownie. In this picture she is very relaxed. She'd had her breakfast and has taken care of business (1 and 2). Life is good.

Gator Women's Basketball and the Backcourt Club

Okay, Gator fans, Women's basketball is back!

The Backcourt Club is gearing up and has published a schedule of events. This is a fun club - we get together with the coaches and players and always have a good time. Won't you consider joining and attending some games and activities? Go to the Backcourt Club website for more info.