Saturday, February 26, 2011

11/8 Just Me Talkin'

There doesn't seem to be anything exciting going on lately. We are staying busy & things are taking some interesting turns. Two of our little-old-lady friends have moved from the park into a mobile home that is much better suited for them. We have helped them move & brought a lot of their plants to the new place to make it feel more like home. Some of their relatives came down from Chicago to help & we all have been getting along & just having a good time. We will be doing a little more landscaping & potting some plants before we leave FL & hope to get all the moving done before their kin folk return to Chicago.



That was the busy part. Now on to the interesting part. This will mean more to those of you who knew Mary from working at the Post Office. Mary is a take charge, speak her mind, kick-ass type that just about everyone likes. She always has the best intentions & people sense that in her outspoken manner. Well take all that & you will understand how she got talked into running for vice-president of the resident's association. She & her running-mate, future president Norma, have some ideas to keep the association alive & even rejuvenate it. The association has been run successfully by the same people for years but has gotten stale & stagnant. Residents seem to want some younger blood as well as see the need for new people to step up as some of our residents age & are no longer able to fill these positions. So we are the "young blood" in the community now.



Did I say WE? Yes I did! Now what could that mean? Well I know I have mentioned that Mary has become addicted to her Friday night Bingo, & you now know that some of the residents that ran things in the park are no longer able to.....so what does that mean? That means that Frank,yes me, is going to be the new Bingo caller. Yes before is now B4. I don't know what made me volunteer & some of the serious Bingo players might want to string me up if I don't call just the right way but it will be my contribution to the residents of the park. Hopefully Bingo will go on without a hitch & the Friday night festivities will continue.

On another note. If you followed us this summer you know that we spent a good part of it in Maine. You may also remember that Mary was single handedly trying to eat every lobster in New England. Well it has been reported that the year 2010 broke all records for lobster harvested. Well done Mary! I am so proud of her.

I am going to call it a night & go to bed in our home in Largo because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

11/7 More Campfire Stories

First I have to say that we had a wonderful day with our granddaughter. Build-a-Bear is a fantastic place for kids to see their own stuffed animal become reality & have a hand in its creation. Needless to say the bear was stuffed, given a heart, bathed, clothed, & named. A birth certificate was created & voila a memory was created for us & our granddaughter.

Now for a story for the campfire. When something doesn't go exactly as planned & we survive I consider this fodder for the blog or stories around the campfire. Some call it "something to laugh about later". Well as I mentioned before we were helping our youngest son, Charlie, move back to Pinellas County. We borrowed a trailer from a friend & headed towards east FL to pick him up. Around Lakeland the trailer broke loose at about 60mph. After a panic filled move to the side of the road we got out to see the damage. The trailer did not break loose from the ball which is usually the weakest point in a tow vehicle/trailer hookup. No we have to be different. The trailer actually broke in half. The tongue separated from the rest of the trailer. That means that the only connection was the light wiring harness. Realizing that there was no reason for me to have been able to get to the side of the road gave me a "poop-in-my-pants" moment. Damn lucky is all I can say.

Is this the end of our story? Noooooo! While we were figuring out what to do next a mattress comes flying past us. The truck it flew out of turned in the median & came back for it. The poor guy couldn't get it because the idiots on the interstate wouldn't stop for the 20 seconds he needed. So Mary & I took it upon ourselves to stop traffic. One driver tried to drive around us which just ticked Mary off. She stepped in front of the driver & dared her to move. Literally seconds later traffic was moving.

My friend said he would come for his trailer & that we should go on. So on we went while Mary called for a U-Haul in Sanford. We picked up the rental, got Charlie & his stuff, & hit the road back. With all the excitement we still made the 250 mile round trip in only 6 hours!

Today we went to the state fair with friends. With "chamber of commerce weather" it was going to be a good day. As is custom at the fair we walked a lot, ate too much "not-good-for-you" food, & saw a couple of shows. We checked out the vendors & crafters but didn't find anything we couldn't live without. Almost 7 hours later we had had enough & headed home.

Today is only Tuesday & I don't know if we will survive the week since the rest of it is booked pretty full. Tonight will be an early night so this is good night from a very tired house in Largo FL because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

Saturday, February 12, 2011

11/6 Busy Busy Busy

Once again I want to know where all my retirement "free time" went. The past 2 weeks we have volunteered at school, found time to get sick, get to the doctor, install new window shades, all in addition to cooking, cleaning, & laundry. Then just to make it interesting we volunteered for the elementary school Valentines Dance & the trailer park's variety show.

The school dance was fun. We picked up 40 or so pizzas, several trays of garlic knots, plus salad trays, dressing, & containers of dipping sauce. The truck still smells like an Italian wedding. We helped dish out food & then just enjoyed watching all the kids having fun. As usual Mary was the unofficial photographer with pics to be seen on Mary's FB page.

The variety show was another story. A bunch of seniors just out to have fun. There was singing, dancing, & comedy skits. We got roped into an old married couples version of the Newlywed game. There were embarrassing questions & even more embarrassing answers but at least we didn't have to sing or dance. Mary & I actually wound up winning the game with the tie-breaking question so I will say that it was fun. After the show there was refreshments & the opportunity to meet with our fans. They were quite surprised & amused at some of our answers. Again it was just about having some fun. More pics on FB.

This week the insanity continues. A granddaughter's birthday, helping our youngest move, the State Fair & who knows what else. I am going to need my rest so I will close for now from our busy, busy, home in Largo because......

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

11/5 And Life Goes On...

First let me thank everyone for the kind thoughts on our loss. Foxy will be missed but we always have our memories. With that said life & blogging must go no. We are still volunteering at school & trying to get together with friends & family before our April 1st departure. Where is the time going? We have 2 months, 8 weeks, 58 days how ever we count it the time is coming & quickly.

The next weeks we will be heading up to Tarpon Springs, going to the State Fair, & the Strawberry Festival. That means Greek food, corn dogs, funnel cakes, & strawberry shortcake. Where ever we go we always seem to find good food. Not necessarily "good for you" food but good tasting food. The watch word will be moderation. We will also stay away from the scale for a while.

Well we are ready to hit the road with friends so I will be signing off now & locking up our home here in Largo because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank & Mary