Sharp's Travels

It has been an unusual month as it has had 5 Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. Well I thought it was different. Mike had to work today so Pam came over and went to church with us long with Grandma. Pastor Dean was gone on a vacation to see family, so we had Pastor Mel today. His message was pretty good but he talks so loud at times and over drives the sound system and then at times you can’t hear him at all, probably just my hearing. Most of our Life Group is still away visiting family, so it was just Pam, Grandma, Cheri and I to go out for lunch. We went to Flaco’s café and had to wait about 15 minutes to get seated. I wasn’t impressed with my meal today, not sure what the problem was as they are usually pretty good. When we got home we settled in for an afternoon and evening of taking it easy. I did some computer work and Cheri worked on her Playing card holders. Later we watched and old John Wayne movie. Then it was time to watch the Packers play there last regular season game. They played Vikings and if Packers would have won they would have a buy next week. Well that didn’t happen as the Vikings won and now the Packers have to play them again next week. Oh yaw it was cold this morning, had ice on the windshield of the van and the high temp for the day was 54 degrees, another reason to stay inside today.      

We had a very nice rain last night and this forenoon. So the morning walk and work out was canceled. About 10:00 am Larry and Denise asked us if we wanted to go with them to look at a double wide that is for sale in another park. As long as we had no plans for the day we went with them. They are looking for something to buy for a winter home and not use their motor home. As it turned out the double wide was in very bad shape. Then Larry and Denise wanted to go to the Verizon store to get a new hot spot. We have been thinking about getting a hot spot for our computer so Cheri can use her I pad. So we checked out the pricing and now have to go to Sprint where we now have our phones and air card for internet service and see what they can do for us. Denise needed to go to Wal-Mart so Larry and I dropped off her and Cheri and we went over to Lowe’s so I could check out the vinyl fencing. I have been thinking about putting up some between the shed and 5th wheel. But the price is way too much for what I want do, have to go back to the think tank. It was around 1:30 pm when we got home. After a late lunch I did some reading and Cheri worked on the playing card holders. This evening we went over to Larry and Denise’s to play Hand, Knee and Foot. It was Larry and my night as we won both games.   

It was 41 degrees this morning when I got up, the good thing was there wasn’t any wind so it was a nice morning walk. I planned a motorcycle ride for today and was only 49 degrees at 10:00 am, our departing time. I wondered how many would show up for the ride. Well Butch was the only one that didn’t come and it was because he had another appointment. We rode about 30 miles and I stopped to see if everyone was warm enough, everyone was in good shape so we visited for a bit before moving on. Our ride took in two Harley dealers and back to Zephyrhills by 3:30 pm for a 145 mile ride. The high temp was around 70 or 71. Cheri and Denise went shopping here in Zephyrhills and then to Lakeland, they got home about 15 minutes after Larry and I did. They hit all the sewing and craft stores. This evening we went up to Paul and Bev’s to play dominos. Cheri and Bev beat Paul and me bad the first game but we won the second game, it was our first win this season. 

Cheri there is a sale at the quilt store in Dade City. Cheri, Cheri!! She is gone, her and Denise left the first thing this morning. I worked on the weed whip as the line cutter was broken off and I worked on building a new cutter for it. Larry came over after Cheri and Denise went shopping and told me they bought a new TV for their motor home. I helped him as I had the saws and tools he needed to get the job done. It took all day to finish the job, lot of cutting and fitting. It really looks nice; I even had the right stain for the wood frame we rebuilt. A few days ago I ordered some plastic canvas to make playing card holders. So Cheri and Denise bought some yarn today and this afternoon they started making them. I think it turned out to be a bigger job than they thought it would be. We had paid $5.00 for four of them from a person here in the park and they now think that was a good deal. This evening Larry and Denise came over to play Hand, Knee and Foot. We played two games and both were close games but Cheri and Denise won both. It was another great day that God has made for us.  

Cheri put in a bad night because of my snoring so she got up really tired this morning. I told her she needs to wake me up so I can turn on my side. It is when I sleep on my back that I snore. Cheri took Grandma for her doctor’s appointment. She said they had to wait a long time to get in and didn’t get home until around 1:00 pm. I had gone to Lowe’s to get some small bolts and nuts. A couple of years ago Cheri broke the table top extension that goes around her sewing machine. I had glued it a couple of times but never lasted so I took a piece of metal and bolted the two pieces together, problem solved. I should have done it before but it wouldn’t look so nice. At least she can use it now. Since she got the new sewing table she really doesn’t need it unless she takes her machine somewhere else. We were invited up to Mike and Pam’s for an evening of card playing with their daughter Jenny and son in law Rick. First we went to Scotland Yards for wings. Then it was time to play cards. We played one game of Hand, Knee and Foot that the girls won and then a game of SOB which Mike won. It was a fun evening to spend with special friends  

Merry Christmas to everyone, we hope you all had a wonderful day with family and friends. We did call and talk to our three children. We took Grandma and went to the Rec Hall for Christmas Dinner.  I am not sure how many there were at dinner but I do know it was over 150. The park finished ham and potatoes and everyone brought a dish to pass, so there was lots of good food. After dinner we went back to Grandma’s and played cards with her. Late this afternoon Cheri started a new quilt project called Hearts Afloat. From the looks I think it is going to take her a while to get this one done. I watched some TV and checked the inside of my eyelids.

It was warmer this morning which made it bearable for walking, no wind. We took it easy this morning thinking about celebrating the birth of Jesus and how blessed we are to have him in our lives. This afternoon we went up to Paul and Bev’s to play a couple of games of dominos, Cheri and Bev whipped Paul and me again. We picked up Grandma at 4:30 pm and headed for the 5:00 pm candle light service at church. Dean had a very good message. After church we were invited over to Ron and Sandy’s for supper and visiting. It was a wonderful time. Christmas is about Jesus and Dr. Larry Ollison says it much better than I could. 


   
 

Teaching the Word of Faith Throughout the World TCE0488


Christmas is About Jesus
  
Regardless of what the modern news media may tell you, Christmas is about Jesus. Of course it is the season of love and joy. Of course it is the season of giving. But all of the love, all of the joy, and all of the giving is because of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Without Jesus there would be no Christmas season. Let me explain.

It may come as a shock to some people, but before Jesus was born there was no Christmas. It is a known fact that the birth of Jesus 2,000 years ago is the date the Julian and Gregorian calendars use as the anchor for all dates. For example, the United States was founded in the year 1776 AD (Anno Domini) or "1776 in the Year of Our Lord." The birth of Jesus is the basis for the AD system of dating.

However, the value and purpose of Christmas is much deeper than just a dating system of time. The birth of Jesus marks the beginning of a new phase of God's plan for mankind. It has been said that when Jesus came to earth, it was the greatest chapter in the story of the glory. Here is what that means.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Gen. 1.) He created man in His own image and likeness and placed him in a garden east of Eden. (v. 26; Gen. 2:15.) Man was covered with the glory of God. The relationship between God and man was very intimate. God gave man authority over the garden. Like today, there were things he was to do and there were some things he was not supposed to do. (Gen. 2:16-17.)

Because man was disobedient, he lost the ability to fellowship with his Creator. (Gen. 3.) The glory of God was taken away and man realized he was naked. It looked like he was doomed to an eternal existence alone without the closeness of the presence of God (the glory) -- but God had a plan.

God loved His creation so much that after 4,000 years He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to the earth in the form of a man. He was a part of the wonderful plan to break down the wall that separated man from God. Jesus lived a perfect life as a man. (2 Cor. 5:21.) He was the Son of God, but He set all that aside and lived for 33 years as a sinless man. He laid down His life on the cross and became a perfect sacrifice.

After three days, Jesus came back to life. He taught His disciples for forty days and then was taken into heaven to be with His Father, God. (Acts 1:1-9.) And today, He is waiting to return to the earth to collect the Church. (1 Thess. 4:16-17.) Everyone who believes and confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, that God raised Him from the dead, and does not deny Jesus, is a part of the Church and has eternal life. Life is always better than death.

Christmas is the celebration of a birth in Bethlehem. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of a Savior who laid down His life so we could have life. Christmas is the celebration of the Light entering the world so that we do not have to live in darkness. (John 8:12.)

Christmas is the celebration of Jesus. Without Jesus, there is no reason to celebrate. We show our love for Him by loving, forgiving, and giving to others. Jesus said they (non-Christians) will know we are Christians by the way we love each other. (1 John 3:16.)
  
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It was 31 degrees this morning and the ground was white with frost, ready for winter to be over. I went up early to pick up Grandma for church so I could get the van warmed up and the frost off the windshield, then back to pick up Cheri. After Church We went out for lunch at Chili’s with Craig and Michelle. Some of our Life Group was sick and some had other commitments today. After we dropped off Grandma we headed back to the 5th wheel and took it easy this afternoon. No racing and I couldn’t get the Packer game so we watch Christmas movies we had recorded. Oh yes it did warm up some and was a pretty nice day.

Winter has arrived in Florida it was 37 degrees this morning, the good thing is there wasn’t any wind so it didn’t seem as cold as it was yesterday. By 2:00 pm it was up to 61 degrees. Cheri was really tired when she got up and being it was cold out we skipped our morning walk and work out. I did make a trip to get a couple of tanks of LP, now we are ready for the cold snap. Cheri made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and I took some over for Larry and Denise. This afternoon we went to a memorial for Betsy’s grandmother (Millie) she was 95. Betsy is one of our Life Group members from church. When we got home we took it easy and watched a couple of Christmas movies that Cheri recorded. Then it was time to start the grill and grill up a bunch of chicken and some pork spare ribs (wonder how many spare ribs a hog has). It is going to be cold again tonight so we turned on the electric blanket so the bed would be nice and warm when we crawled in. 

It was pretty cool this morning when we walked, later the wind came up and made it cold to be outside. If you could stay out of the wind and in the sun it was pretty nice. So we stayed in all morning, only going out to hang the sheets on the line. I actually took a mid morning nap and watched TV until noon. After lunch I went up to Paul and Bev’s to give them the phone number for the Long Horn steak house. They are planning on going out to eat on Christmas day if they are open. When I got back I had a little project that I wanted to get done. The other day we bought new steak knives and they would not fit in our wooden holder. So I got the saw out and made the openings bigger. I was just finishing up when Denise came over and said that she had cabin fever and wanted to go shopping. It didn’t take us long to get ready to go. We went down in New Tampa to the Home Goods store, Tuesday Mornings, Jo-Ann Fabrics, BJ’s, and Sam’s. Before we left Sam’s we had pizza and a soda for our supper. On the way home we stopped along the highway to show Larry and Denise the Christmas lights that Cheri and I checked out last Tuesday night. It was 8:30 pm when we arrived home. The afternoon went by much faster than the morning did. It getting colder as it is supposed to be in the low 40’s tonight.  

Some days things never go as planned and this was one of them, not that it makes that much different when you are retired. This morning we were out of milk and bread (forgot to get some yesterday) so I asked Cheri if she wanted to go out for breakfast and she jumped at the chance (maybe that’s why we didn’t have any milk). We went to Flaco’s café and had their breakfast special of eggs, hash browns, sausage or bacon, toast, and coffee for $3.99. It doesn’t get any better than that. After breakfast we headed to the grocery store to load up on a lot of buy one get one free. After it was all said and done we supposedly saved $71.00. Now did we really save or are their groceries just too high. I think the store just do it to make you think you saved money and make you feel better. It was a little after noon when we got home. I checked the e-mail and Grandma had e-mail that she needed to have medicine picked up and one she got yesterday returned as it was for someone else. We also had to stop by the doctor’s office to pick up a prescription for her B-12 shot. For some reason they can’t get the medicine. So then off to Wal-Mart we go, turns out Wal-Mart doesn’t carry the B-12, so we had to go to CVS to get it. As it was going to take awhile for it to be ready we headed down town to take care of an insurance problem we had. It took us an hour there and still have a problem, our insurance agent has to send a letter to the company to see if they can get things straighten out. Then it was back to CVS to pick up the medicine. We used the drive through so we could get through faster. Will that didn’t work out as I gave them a 50 dollar bill which was an old one and it took them ten minutes to see if it was good or not. There have been some counterfeit 50 and 100 dollar bills floating around the area. Then it was back to the park to pick up Grandma and take her to the doctor to get the B-12 shot. We didn’t have an appointment and had to wait for her to get worked in. When we got home we crashed for a while before it was time to get the grill going to grill some T-Bone steaks for supper. This evening we went up to Paul and Bev’s to play domino. Bev and Cheri whipped Paul and me pretty bad in both games.    

Today was a shopping day for Cheri and Denise. Larry and I got the motorcycles out and took Cheri and Denise to the Lakeside Village mall. Larry and I were good little boys and followed them around like little puppy dogs. After the mall we went to Tuesday Mornings. Cheri used to go to them back in Wisconsin and didn’t know they had them here in Florida, so as soon as she heard about them she needed to go. After Tuesday Mornings we went across the street to Ling’s Chinese restaurant for a late lunch. After lunch it was back to the north side of Lakeland to Michael’s and then to Jo-Ann Fabrics. It was around 5:30 pm when we got home. Then this evening we went over to Larry and Denise’s to play Hand, Knee, and Foot. Cheri and Denise won the first game and Larry and I won the other game, both games were blow outs.

This morning Larry, Denise, Cheri and I took the motorcycles and went to the flea market out by the airport. Larry was looking for a replacement TV antenna for their motor home. We didn’t have any luck on the antenna but Cheri and Denise found a couple of things that they had to have. We were back home by 11:30 am. We had an early lunch as Cheri wanted to get her stuff together for the quilt gathering. Betty had asked me to put together some wind chimes that Dean had made before he passed away. So that was my afternoon project, I wasn’t sure how Dean would have put them together as I hadn’t see any that he had done. I did get them done and they look nice. This evening we had our last Life Group gathering and went out to eat. On our way over there was a bad accident between a car and truck. Our lane was blocked and so they had the traffic going down a drive way and across the lawn and back out the next drive way to get around the accident. On the way home we were in a back up for almost an hour as there had been another accident between three cars and had the road blocked. After we got through the accident we drove south of town to look at the Christmas decorations at a house that had out done themselves, very pretty.

Wind Chimes

Wind Chimes

Cheri's quilt hanging

Cheri's quilt hanging

Today was ride day for the Baker Acer Old Hogs. Maybe I shouldn’t be saying that as we now have one non Harley rider. All well maybe we can convert him. It was another perfect day for riding and we put on 138 miles. We made a big loop down around Lakeland on some roads that were new to most of us. At 10:00 am Cheri and Denise went shopping but had to cut it short because Cheri had to take Grandma for her doctor’s appointment. She wasn’t home long before we returned from our ride. Cheri and I crashed for a bit before we had supper and this evening Larry and Denise came over for a hot game of Hand, Knee and Foot. It was a close game but Larry and I pulled off a win. I am still fighting the cold and sore throat, but getting better each day, two weeks is long enough. 

Pam and Mike picked us up at 8:20 am and we headed to Lakeland for church at the Family Worship Center where they were presenting Glorious. We met Pam’s girl friend Peggy and her husband Al at the church. The production and message was wonderful. It took over 100 men, women, and children to put it on. The church holds 3,000 and I would guess it was 99 percent full. Al and Peggy go to this church and had invited Mike, Pam, Cheri and me to come. I am so happy that we went. I had been saying that I didn’t have any Christmas spirit this year, well I do now, anyone that was here had to come away full of the Christmas spirit. After church the six of us went Ruby Tuesday’s for lunch and visiting. After lunch we said goodbye to Al and Peggy. There was a big mall just down the road from where we had lunch and Cheri and Pam thought it would be a good idea to stop there. Mike and I found a nice bench to keep warm while the girls shopped. We came home by way of Plant City and decided to see if they were serving strawberry short cake at Parkesdale farm market, no luck they don’t start until January. We did have some ice cream while we were there. We took the back way home checking out all the straw berry fields. It was late in the afternoon when we got home. It was a full filled day to spend with good friends. 

It was a small world this morning as it was very foggy. Larry and Denise pulled in around 9:00 am. I helped Larry get parked and leveled up. The lot they are on isn’t that level, not only did we have to level front to back but also side to side. The right rear tires are up about eight inches and nothing under the left front. So it took a while to get the right setup. Cheri and Denise were busy visiting while we did the leveling. At 11:45 am we went up to Betty’s to pick up the cheese plates that she had prepared for Dean’s memorial. From there we went down to the Rec Hall and started setting things up. We did have a lot of help so it was easy getting ready. The memorial started at 1:00 pm, I figured we would have about 40 to 45 people come. So we had chairs set up for 55 people, well we ended up having 67 people come. We had everything we needed to make extra punch and a good thing we did as we use some of it. We had eight dozen cookies along with the two big cheese plates that Betty made. After it was all said and done we had four cookies left and about two gallons of punch left over. It was a wonderful service and Pastor Mike did an excellent message. We had help cleaning up and were done and home by 3:00 pm. Larry and Denise were still cleaning their truck and motor home. This evening the park had their golf cart Christmas parade though the park, there were 25 carts all dress up with lots of lights and decorations. And yes the fog burned off and we had a beautiful sunny day in the high 70’s. 

It was a gloomy day, no sun until around 3:00 pm this afternoon. We also had a breezy day and the temp started out in the low 50’s. Being I am still not feeling very good it was a lazy morning. Paul and Bev came down to use our phone as theirs wasn’t working yet. They called and they told them that it was hooked up, so now someone has to come out to see what the problem is. Cheri had to take Grandma for lab work, to the bank and to get groceries. I went down to the office to make sure that Larry and Denise are going to get the lot across the street from us. They have been play phone tag with the office and so they sent me an e-mail wanting me to check it out for them. So they now have the lot across from us and will be here Monday or Tuesday. When Cheri got home we had a late lunch and then went up to see Betty as we had some mail to give her. Rick and Janis were there so we visited for a while and then went to pick up the rest of the things we needed for Dean’s memorial tomorrow. We also stopped at the post office to see why our mail hasn’t been forwarded to our new address. I filled out the paper work on line on 11-11-12 to start the mail forwarding and the e-mail I received said it would start 7 to 10 business days later. Will as of yesterday we were still getting mail at our old address. I show them the e-mail that I received and she checked and said that we did have an address forward on file. After the usual excuses she said that they would get it done. This evening around 7:00 pm we got a call from Larry and Denise wanting to know if we had supper as they were here in the Wal-Mart parking lot. They are going to stay there tonight as they need the daylight to get set up on their site. They had a long day of travel and we had already had supper so we told them to get some rest and we would see them tomorrow.   

I think I am a little better today but my energy level is at rock bottom. When we did our work out and walk this morning we see that Paul and Bev have arrived from the Canada. So around 10:00 am we went up to see them. They had a good summer and have a new dog named Morgan. He really gets excited when he sees someone. We had an 11:00 am appointment down at the Rec Hall so they could show where thing were that we need for Dean’s memorial. Then I dropped Cheri off so she could get a haircut and I took the grocery list and went shopping. We both got done about the same time. After lunch Cheri wanted to go shopping for a couple of Christmas present, so we headed to Dade City, within an hour we were home. Cheri worked on doing the Christmas letter and getting Christmas cards ready to send out. I mowed the site across the road from us as Larry and Denise will be here Monday or Tuesday. Then it was back up Paul and Bev’s to hook up their TV. When I got home Cheri had the Christmas letter done and ready for me to do some e-mailings. Wow no wonder I am tired. 

I am still fighting the cold and sore throat, not feeling like doing anything. I am so afraid Cheri is going to catch it. Cheri did a lot laundry today and was able to hang things out. We had a high humid day and took most of the day for things to dry, got everything off the line just before we got an evening shower. This morning Pastor Mike came and talked with us about Dean’s memorial, wanted some information about Dean. We also went to see Charlotte (Dean’s cousin) to see if she would sing at the memorial. She checked with a friend of hers and called us this evening and said they would sing. This afternoon we went to see the James Bond movie Skyfall. We have heard so much about it and how well it is doing. Well I wasn’t impressed, I know James Bond movies are over the top but this one went too far and the story line wasn’t that good. Maybe I just don’t know what a good movie is anymore. By the way I am still looking for the Christmas spirit, just can’t get with it this year.   

My cold took a turn for the worse, got up this morning with a sore throat, not bad but has the day went it got worse. Cheri had a morning of shopping and lunch with Pam. I think she had fun but didn’t have time to tell me anything because it was time for her to head down to the Rec Hall for her quilt gathering. I had to force myself to get anything done today and the high humidity didn’t help any. I did get the water softener regenerated plus I got the oil changed in the motorcycle which was a big job. Sure is nice to have the new concrete to work on. I took Grandma’s van out and filled it up with gas for her. After all of this I was done for the day as my sore throat was getting worse. When Cheri got home I told her I wouldn’t be going to the Life Group gathering this evening. So Cheri called Pam and told her that we wouldn’t be coming and I sent Ron an e-mail letting him know that I was sick. I got an e-mail back later and as it turned out everyone was sick so the Life Group was canceled.

I had a pretty good night’s sleep and feel better this morning, maybe it is because I am going for a motorcycle ride today. There were five of us on the ride today; it was our usual four plus one new guy, Len Green. He and his wife Pat has been coming to Baker Acers for several years and at the young age of 74 has bought his first motorcycle. We cut our ride short, only 90 miles as it was threaten rain, still a great ride. When I got home my sweetie had just baked me a batch of chocolate chip cookies, how great is that. She didn’t work on her quilt hanging today; she said she is going to finish it tomorrow at the quilt gathering. She has everything out for a new project called Hearts Afloat, I think is supposed to be a table cloth. This morning on our walk we stopped by Betty’s and pick up her house keys so we could keep an eye on things while she is in Wisconsin for Dean’s funeral. This afternoon I checked on getting the Rec Hall to have a memorial for Dean, we have it set up for Saturday afternoon from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm. Well the rain that cut our motorcycle ride short didn’t start until around 6:00 pm. There was a lot of thunder and lightning but not much rain, most of the storm went north of us.   

I put in another lousy night with my cold, really tired this morning. We did go to church this morning. Grandma didn’t go as she didn’t want to be in the same car with me because she was afraid she might catch my cold. We didn’t go out for lunch with our Life Group after church, I was just too tired. When we got home I ordered in a pizza for lunch. This afternoon I did some cleaning on the motorcycle and Cheri did some more on her quilt hanging. Around 2:00 pm I crawled into bed for a nap and slept for a couple of hours. We watched the Packers play tonight and they came away with a win. If they can beat the Bears next Sunday they will win their division. Last night we got a much needed rain, I was trying to remember and I think it is the first rain we have had since we got back to Florida. It didn’t last that long but was still nice. Things always look nicer after a rain. 

Well my cold is starting to get the best of me. I put in a terrible night and wasn’t in the mood to do any morning workout or walk. Today was the park wide yard sale; Cheri did get me to walk around the park to check out the sales. We came home without buying anything, now that is what I call good shopping. Cheri continued working on her quilt hanging and as of late this afternoon all she has left to do is the binding. I will post a picture when she gets done. I worked on making an insert for her new sewing table. The insert fits around the sewing machine so she has a smooth service all around the machine. Yep I had to make another trip to Lowe’s to get some clips to hold the insert in place. While were out we stopped at Wal-Mart to get a few groceries. Rick, Janis, and Betty stopped down for a visit and want us to set up a memorial for Dean down at the Rec hall after they get back from Wisconsin. We have to check and see when we can get the Rec hall, hoping for Saturday or Sunday afternoon.   

I went with Cheri for her eye appointment this morning and everything looks good except she does have dry eyes and needs to start using eye drops. It was near noon before we got home. This afternoon I put my work bench together. That was a job and Cheri helped by reading the directions. It was near 4:00 pm before we were done. Looks very nice, now all I have to do is make room for it in the shed. We had a few people stop by to see what we were building. Of course you have to stop and visit with them for a while. Late this afternoon Norm and Marlene stopped for a visit and Ed and Loraine also stopped. Janis and Betty stopped and told us that Rick was getting the tickets for them to fly home Monday for Dean’s funeral and would return on Thursday. It is still a shock to us and can’t believe he is gone.

Time to start

OK which piece is first

My Supervisor

I think I can do it

I think I can

I did it

It was not a good day in the neighborhood today. I kept Cheri awake last night with my snoring and she finally got up and went out to the couch and it isn’t big enough to lay on unless you pull it out for the bed. With her sewing machine set up she couldn’t do that so she got no sleep. I got up with a cold and not feeling the greatest. We didn’t do our walk and work out this morning as Cheri came back to bed around 4:00 am and I was up at 5:00 am so I let her sleep in as long as she wanted. Cheri continued to work on her quilt wall hanging and doing some laundry. I went up to Paul and Bev’s and mowed their lawn and then over to Grandma’s to clean out some grass and a tree that was growing by the air conditioner. When I got there my cousin Bob Perkins told me that Dean Unbehaun who went into the hospital last Friday was expected to make it through the day. I told Grandma and Cheri and none of could believe it. Knowing this it was hard to do anything this afternoon. I did go back to Paul and Bev’s and trimmed their palm tree. Then I made a trip to Lowe’s to get what I needed to tie down the 5th wheel awning. At 2:30 pm we got the word that Dean had passed away. So we went up to Dean and Betty’s to be with Betty and their son Rick and his wife Janis. Please say a prayer for the Unbehaun family.

Grandma called Cheri this morning and wanted Cheri to take her shopping to get some Christmas cards to send out. Plus we needed a few things from the grocery store. Then Cheri worked on her quilt hanging. Butch, Bud, John, and I went for a 142 mile motorcycle ride. We rode north and worked our way back through Leesburg so we could stop at the Harley dealer (more dreaming). The weather was partly cloudy with a high in the upper 70’s which made it a perfect day for riding. I got up this morning feeling that I am coming down with something, so have started doctoring for a cold.

The concrete guys were here at 7:00 am. They got the new concrete cut and some blocks cut for me so I could finish putting the block back in from the first concrete placement. Cheri now has a nice path to the clothesline. They also picked up all up the old blocks and hauled them away for me. Cheri was busy this morning getting things ready for our Life Group gathering here tonight. She has made a carrot cake for dessert, it smells so good and I could eat some now, guess it gives me something to look forward to. Cheri had her quilt gathering this afternoon and I took back a piece of skirting that I didn’t need. Then I went to Lowe’s to get a hose holder to put on the shed. When I got home I put up the hose holder and washed down all the concrete. So the concrete work and shed skirting is done. Happy to have them done and ready to start on my next project, no sure what it will be, I need to ponder on it for a bit. Our Life Group was really small this evening, a lot of people sick. We still had a good gathering and the carrot cake was great.

Concrete work done

Shed skirting is done

A few days ago I got an estimate on getting some more cement poured and told them I would call them to do it when I got permission from the park office. Well when we got back from our morning walk they were here stripping off the sod. They thought we were still in bed. They said you do want the concrete don’t you and I said yes. Well they just about got it formed up when Vic the park manager came and checked it out and said that everything was OK. So my plans for the day had changed. After the cement work was done I went back to work on the shed skirting and finished it. I also got the oil changed in the lawn mower, plus I got the blade sharpened. Throughout the day several people stopped by to commit on the concrete, it does look nice. Cheri continued working on her quilt hanging, really looking nice. A couple more days and she should have it done. We got a call from Pam this morning and she is really sick with her asthma and could hardly talk. So we are going to have our Life Group Gathering here tomorrow night. I called Mike this evening to see how Pam was doing and Mike said that she is doing a lot of coughing and can’t talk. Dean is still in the hospital and they did do test today and now are waiting for the results. Please pray for Pam and Dean to get well.   

We took Grandma to church with us this morning. We had a guest speaker deliver the sermon today and it was a powerful message. After church six of us went out for lunch at Red Robin’s, we have been there before and it has been really good but not today. After we dropped off Grandma we went up to the hospital to see my cousin Dean Unbehaun. He had passed out in the bathroom and hit his head. They are doing tests to see what the problem is. All they know right now is that his white blood count is really high. I am going through with draw today as the NASCAR racing season is over and I can’t get the Green Bay Packers game today. I was going to go out and finish the shed skirting this afternoon, but got lazy and watched a movie we had recorded. Marlene stopped by for a visit with Cheri (quilt stuff). We ordered in a Papa John’s pizza for supper. Pizza on Sunday night is something we always do but haven’t done it since we left this spring, think maybe we are getting back into a routine. I can’t seem to get into the Christmas spirit this year; well it is still early maybe it will come. I think part of the problem is they start the Christmas season way too early. They never use to start until after Thanks Giving and then it was before Thanks Giving and this year it was before Halloween. Everyone has lost the real meaning of Christmas. 

Wow! I can’t believe it is December already, although my watch says it is Nov 31, always takes me a couple of days to get my watch updated. Cheri worked all day on her quilt hanging and now needs to get material and batting for it, sounds like another shopping trip. I worked on the shed skirting and it is almost done, need about another hour or so to finish it, looks nice even if I say so. Late this afternoon we headed to Dade City for the car show, our first one since we have returned to Florida. I wasn’t going to take the camera and Cheri said you better take it. Sure glad I did has we saw a 1955 Chevrolet four door convertible, one of only two ever made. So I have some pictures of it. After the car show we stopped at Subway for a sub for our supper. When we got home we settled in for a night of TV and a late night it was as I watched the Badgers play Nebraska, the Badgers played their best game of the year and are now headed for the Rose Bowl. 

OK yesterday I said I should get the shed done today well that didn’t happen. Cheri and I went shopping. She was looking for a certain type of picture frame and she wanted to go to the Home Goods store. Well we didn’t find it there but she managed to buy a clothes basket and some new towels. By the time we got done with the Home Goods store it was time for lunch and there was a Subway just a few doors down the strip, how nice is that. After lunch we went into Michel’s which was right next door. Cheri found a picture frame that she said would work but not the one she wanted. Then we made a stop at Sam’s on the way home. What a deal we made to today, we upgraded our Sam’s card for $7.00 so we could save $3.00. Not too smart but we get to check out some extra savings through the month of December and we can shop earlier in the day. When we got home Cheri decided the picture frame she got was better than the one she wanted (good news). I did work on the shed for about an hour and a half before it was time to go to Scotland Yard’s where we met Mike and Pam for the Friday night fish special. After dinner Mike and Pam came over to our place to play Hand, Knee and Foot. Pam and Cheri won the first game and Mike and I won the second game. Something was said that Mike and I got skunked the first game and that counted for a bigger win then our win (wonder who said that, my memory isn’t too good Pam). It was another great day in the neighborhood to spend with close friends, we are sooooooo blessed.