Twas the Night Before Christmas

Temps dropping into the 30's on Christmas!

It was an unusual Florida Christmas Eve...the temperature was wintery....WTF? Nevertheless, we were not going to let frigid weather dictate our enjoyment of this holiday evening.

Emma had put up her little tree and we gave it a little love by taking its picture. Tis the season!

The Nochebuena meal was prepared by Emma and Nancy. They worked diligently during the day to create a traditional Puerto Rican dinner...it was a meal to remember! The centerpieces of this gastronomic endeavor were the pernil and the pasteles. Forbes had a really good, and very accurate, article about pernil - it's worth your read - click here.

One's plate might resemble this one below:

Clockwise: pernil, brussel sprout, avacado, pasteles, sweet potato, beans and rice.

And, dinner is never complete without dessert! We enjoyed a yummy rum cake garnished with strawberries and whipped cream.

This rum cake was excellent! In fact, one piece was not enough...

An evening constitutional commenced after eating - complete with coyote stick to fight them back should we encounter any along the way. And, no, we did not sight any wild four-legged creatures this night but we thought we heard them howling in the distance.

Christmas Eve is not complete in this Puerto Rican household without a game of dominoes. It was a surprisingly close game, though, our team did not prevail.

"Shuffling" the dominoes actually does require a bit of skill. Here Miriam takes over as my attempt caused pieces to overturn.

On the way home, we tuned in to NORAD to keep track of Santa's locations as he delivered presents to boys and girls across the world.

Merry Christmas or Feliz Navidad to all and to all a good night!

Weekend Before Christmas

It's the weekend before Christmas - and a relatively quiet one. Our women's basketball team hosted it's annual Holiday tournament and won both games!


If you look closely at the picture you will see "Buddy the Elf" - aka soccer Coach Becky Burleigh!

This is our little tree. We've simplified Christmas to reduce stress and it has worked wonderfully!


We also added a few lights outside.

And, of course, we walked up to the Thomas Center for the luminaries, music, and fun.


I've been playing around with a new phone app that creates a watercolor out of an image. My target image was of Sydney. She stays put longer than Peanut so it's easier to snap a shot of her.

And another...


I'm kind of liking the look of these images. Next will try to get a good pic of Peanut...

Merry Christmas to you!

Christmas Surprise

I returned to the office after lunch and saw that my office had been transformed into a Christmas wonderland!

































Merry Christmas!


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Post Thanksgiving

It's been a lovely holiday weekend despite the cold weather. We've been able to relax some and take Sydney on several walks. Both she and Pea have had some quality nap time with us.

And, of course, what would the holiday season be without Baileys? We stocked up for the cold winter nights ahead.

Had the pleasure of watching that Bama-Auburn game - quite an ending. After that, every other game feels blah. Was hoping Bama would win ( I dislike OSU). Now, it looks like I'll be rooting for FSU. 

Our women's basketball team won today at the Junkanoo Jam. This was a needed win and I hope they can use it to jump start a string of good games. We really need to win out before the SEC season begins. Go Gators!

Got some more football to watch.

Ciao.

November Weekend

It's a slow Saturday. Came home from grocking today and saw our neighbor, Bodhi, napping in his favorite spot.

Last night Sydney spent the evening destroying her favorite purple hippo. We've ordered some new toys for her - she's being weaned from Prozac and needs some more toys to destroy.

And yes, it's basketball season. Here is a proud mom holding the head of January Miller, a fearless competitor. So, glad she's a Gator. Come out to next game on Tuesday at 7pm against St. Johns.

And then there's Peanut. She found the rocks comfortable. Her ears? They're very expressive and she insisted on flattening them for the photo. 

Just finished listening to Steve Russell's show after the loss to Georgia Southern. I've generally supported Will Muschamp being given another year. I must say, though, that I'm concerned whether he can do the job. Although, last year's team went 11-2, I never felt it was a great team and its shortcomings were exposed in the sugar bowl. This year seemed to be a continuation of that. Despite the team's woes I do not support booing these players. Remember these are kids out there. Show some civility, Gator fans.

It looks like it just started raining. This one's gonna bring cold weather. Oh, joy.

Ciao.

A Brief Video

A Frightful Halloween from Mirlisa on Vimeo.

Our annual quest to scare as many children as possible! A special thanks to TNT for loaning their pet, Precious. Happy Halloween!

 

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Boo!

It's not Halloween unless TNT host their annual Halloween Bash! This year's hallowed event was held at Rotting Oaks Cemetery in Greater BFA. Hey, redneck, get out of my picture. ( that was for you, Terry)

Our ghoulish hosts, the Count and Countess Dracula, with Braveheart.  The missus looks to whisper sweet nothings in his ears....wait, no...eat sweet nothings, apparently...

...And security is so important at these grisly events...this is Precious...nice doggie...Precious likes bones...Precious wants another bone...do you have a bone for Precious?...nice doggie...

Oh, dear, a sweet child...turned to stone and now, alas, will spend eternity holding jack-o-lanterns...so, children, when Grandmama tells you not to open the door to the attic...heed her words...

There was something very odd about the haunted manor...this room in particular...something just wasn't right....

A harmless little fire to warm us on a cool October evening...who was that rocking in the chair...

Beware the night...and things that go bump....BOO!

Happy Halloween!

It's Almost Heeeeeeeere!

Our favorite time of year is almost here! Less than a month from the first tip-off on November 8.

Today was our booster club's annual "tip-off" event to welcome back members and sign up new ones. I  had the privilege of posing with our loveliest mascot, Alberta.

Consider joining the Gator Backcourt Club - the official booster club for Florida Women's Basketball. See our website at www.gatorbackcourtclub.com.

Go Gators!

This and that...

Why an empty trash can? I was thrilled and thankful to see it empty at lunch today. When I left for work this morning it was occupied by an injured opossum. I won't go into detail about the cause of the injuries...all I can say is thank goodness for Florida Wildlife Care! They are wonderful and we will be donating to this organization...again...they've helped us before.

I just had a hankering to snap a pic of this butterfly in the backyard.

We went to St. Augustine to celebrate our anniversary. Here are Mir and Sydney in the center of town.

Okie dokie, it's getting late and both girls need to wee wee before nite nite, the girls being Pea and Syd, that is.

Ciao.

Pixie Dust

Her name is Pixie.

Cholesterol....An Interesting Podcast...Worth Your Time to Listen

It seems that our country has gotten it all wrong the last 40 years...nutritionally speaking. Go to the link below and listen. If you're taking a statin...you might want to reconsider. Changing your diet may be all you need to do to maintain metabolic health.

Interview with Dr. William Davis

Who Are You?

Butterflies and Bees...

This summer we have had an abundance of butterflies and bees in our yard. When we landscaped we had a butterfly garden planted. It's been fun watching the various activities of our little creatures.

The garden has been colorful.

We've seen an assortment of bees including bumblebees.

This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail posed for me at lunchtime.

Oh yea, hummingbirds also enjoyed our garden.

Later Gator!

Ciao.

What is it?

Any guesses?

Stay tuned.

No worries....please!

This is the animal that cut my vacation short! She still looks worried. Adopting a special needs dog can be so rewarding. Message me if you're interested.

We'll be discussing a lobotomy with her psychiatrist soon.

Ciao.

Apple Girl, Apple Girl, Apple Girl!

Got this in the mail the other day...

DELL misses me as you can see by the mailing above. When you have something decent to offer me, let me know. The last laptop I purchased from you was a dud. It was expensive and high end...which makes it even more painful. And don't get me started on Windows. I've had my Mac Book Pro for over a year WITH NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER! I love it and I don't love you anymore, DELL. I'm an Apple girl now.

Have a nice life.

Ciao.

Goodnight and Goodbye From Fort Myers Beach!

No, I'm not there but Miriam and Emma are. This is their last sunset before returning home tomorrow. It's been a lovely time in a lovely area. Definitely a place to return again.

 

Goodbye Fort Myers Beach! 

Although we have no pictures, manatees were seen today. Wow! How cool!

Have a good one out there!

Ciao.