Katherine and her friends, Erin and Elizabeth came down for a visit Thursday-Saturday. We had a blast! They were on their own Thursday since Dave and I had to work. Thursday night was Martini night. Friday morning we went to the Flagler Farmer's Market and then to the Flagler Beach pier. The pier was really fun. There were about 7-8 fisherman at the end of the pier. Whenever they got a bite, they'd call the girls over and let them reel them in. They caught fish, stingrays and crabs. They got the girls to hold the fish (slimey...ewww) and put them in the cooler. I was very impressed with these fishermen. I think they had as much fun as the girls!
I didn't gets pics (but Katherine...please send pics so I can post them).

After the pier we ate at the Golden Lion and then the girls went to the beach. Then around 4:30 we went to Betty's house (next door) for cocktails and snacks. Betty is always the ultimate hostess. She prepared cocktail weiners, egg rolls, chips and hot cheese dip. We took over artichoke dip. She taught the girls how to make Singapore Slings. They learned from the master!
We came home and ate shish-ka-bobs. We cut up the pieces of meat, vegetables, and pineapple and each person created their own bobs. Yummy. Then we were going to have Tequila night, but it sort of petered out. We compared Jose Quervo to Patron but I think we had such a "full" day that we couldn't hang. I was the first, doing the "head bob".

The next day we went to the shooting range. That was fun. This was their first time to shoot a gun. They got to shoot the following pistols: a 38 caliber snub nose (Smith and Wesson) , a 9 mm semi-automatic (Glock), and a 22 caliber semi-automatic (Browning). They did really well. Here are some pics:


After the shooting range we came home and Dave took the girls for a motorcycle ride around "The Loop". Here are some pictures:



After the motorcycle ride, we had a little seafood-fest in the back yard. We had crab legs and oysters, corn on the cob and garlic rolls. Dave steamed the oysters outside and I steamed the crab legs indoors. Everything was delicious. You can't go wrong with seafood.



We had a wonderful time and hope they come back soon! Even though we had a cold front come through the day they came it was sunny and clear. Next time they come I hope it'll be warm.

The front door is white again. Since we've lived here the door has been red, bright pink, white, medium blue, light blue and now white again. It would probably fall apart if it weren't for all the layers of paint. Geez, we need to just get another set of doors but we can't decide on which doors to get. I wish I had an eye for decorating.

I planted 10 tomatoes plants, 22 peppers (green, red, banana, and one chile pepper), 2 cucumbers, collards and one egg plant. I also added oregano, basil, thyme and more chives to the herb garden. I planted mint last year...good grief. It took over the herb garden! It's very invasive. So I pulled it up and put some in a clay pot and partially buried it in the garden. We'll see. I want to plant some green onions and also some beans. I'm going to try to biuld a trellis up the fence on the east side of the yard with tacks and twine for the beans to climb. Who knows, we'll see. I'm also trying to figure out what to do in the back corner of the yard. It's sandy and partially shaded. I need something decorative but every time I try something there it looks funny. I'm probably going to put some annual there for now to buy time. I'm thinking maybe some type of structure. Our yard is so small, I'd like to make every inch functional.

Well, another Bike Week is over. This was the deadliest Bike Week ever. 18 bikers died. There were many more accidents.There were many reasons for this. Some were hit by autos at no fault of their own. But, some were being careless...riding too fast, passing, show-dogging it. My personal view is that so many "yuppies" are buying Harley's and they don't know how to ride them.

We rode around a bit and went to the Iron Horse a few times. US 1 in Ormond is really hopping these days. Daytona Beach was being difficult with vendors, the Harley dealership, and motorcycle organizers so the dealership said "screw 'em" and they built a huge Harley complex at US 1 and I-95 in Ormond Beach. The Iron Horse, Broken Spoke and now the Boot Hill are all up in that area. Someone said this area is the "New Main Street". I'm sure Daytona is losing a lot of revenue. Serves them right! They keep trying to push out special events. Well, guess what folks, Bike Week means M-O-N-E-Y!!! We stood in front of Dave's Auto (by the Iron Horse) and watched all the bikes, trucks, hummers, and RV's roll by. These guys spare no expense. There was a lot of money rolling down US 1!!!

Otherwise, I've been doing yard work. I worked in the back yard for about 6 hours yesterday. It's amazing how rapidly things grow. I had to pull out 50% of the ferns to get them under control. They're pretty but they grow like weeds! The elephant ears also grow like crazy. I bet I pulled out about 75 of them. I moved a big Hibiscus bush from the west fence to the back. I hope it gets enough sun there. I'm trying to clear some spots to plant vegetables. This year, I'm going to experiment. It's amazing that for such a small yard, a plant can flourish in one spot and die in another. I guess it all depends on the sun exposure. I'm going to plant vegetables in different spots throughout the yard and see where they grow the best.

I relocated the bird feeder to be closer to the house. I put it on the west side of the house so it can be seen through the kitchen window. However, with the Avian Flu coming, I don't know if that's a smart idea. I can always take it down. They say the Avian Flu is about to cross over into Alaska via migratory birds. I saw a map of the countries that already have infected birds. I forget just how close the tip of Russia is to Alaska. Holy Moly! It's close. I'm going to stock up on some chicken (before they get kooties) like a good southern girl. What would life be like without fried chicken? BTW, here is an interesting fact.....did you know that ALL flu originated from birds? Anyway, I hope everyone is paying attention to the Avian Flu and the possibility of a world wide pandemic. A good site to read is www.fluwikie.com.

Rachel, my niece, "the Emory Scholar"...God, I love saying that, is studying abroad in Cape Town, Africa until this fall. She keeps in touch with the family via email. Here is a picture of her school:


It's that time of year again....spring cleaning and yard work. I have to do the intensive yard work early in Spring, before it gets too hot. I'm going to plant some vegetables this year. I've grown tomatoes & peppers before but I think I may branch out and try some cucumbers, beans, and whatever else floats my boat when I go shopping. I'm thinking about planting in the back corner of the yard, by the gargoyle. Our yard is so small, there's not much room. The dirt in that back corner is too sandy so I'm going to have to use containers or a raised bed garden. Dave's going to have to redirect the sprinkler head also so the area will get watered. I'm excited about getting started but first I have to do the basic rearranging, trimming, weeding, and roundup -ing.

I'm going to go to Sam's again tomorrow. Geez...I hope they don't remember me from last week.
How embarrassing!

Poor Betty! She was out back doing some weeding and Peggy, her poodle, slipped out the back slider and drowned in the pool. I can't imagine how aweful that would be. Peggy and I didn't quite see eye to eye. That's putting it mildly....she hated my guts. I don't know what it was about me but she'd go bananas whenever I went over there. But, she was Betty's baby. That dog had a charmed life. Here is a picture of her.


Bike week began yesterday. We rode around on the bike yesterday and Dave was wearing his "helmet cam". He got lots of curious looks and comments. I know deep down inside he hopes that a young chick will "show her tits". Of course he denies that. We stopped at Dave's Auto shop, which is next to the Iron Horse Salon, where Dave and Scott were selling parking spaces. We had a great time hanging out with them. They had a birds-eye view of US-1 and all the bikes and trailors. Some of their comments were priceless. We never made it to the Iron Horse...which was fine with me.

Betty had a party last night. Betty is the ultimate Hostess. There was great food, awesome guests and a great time. We met some new neighbors, Abbe and Denis. They moved here from South Florida and seem like they're perfect for the neighborhood. We also a "goodbye moment" for Pam & Dhammika who are moving to Sri Lanka. They will still be here for another month. I'll really miss them. I'll post pics later.

Yuk! Bad day yesterday. First a meeting at the hospital that was a little frustration. Then off to Sams to stock up on some goods. I let my old card expire because it's such a hassle to get there (about a 40 minute drive) but I had a free one day pass. So I had to check in, then shop then check out at the same register. After ringing me up, the total was $399 and change. I handed her my Mastercard and they don't take Mastercard or Visa! OMG! It's the day before payday and I didn't have that much in my checking. So, she pointed to the ATM. I tried to get cash from my credit card but I don't know my PIN number. Why should I, everyone takes Visa and Mastercard (or so I thought). By this time, I went back to the register to tell her that I'm screwed, but she was at the Customer Service desk helping someone else. I waited about 10 minutes and then just slithered out the door. How humiliating! UGH!

The crappy day continues. I had to go to a funeral at 4:00. Don Caddick, across the street from us died. His wife's mother died 3 days later. Man, maybe I should quit whining! Anyway...I wore my "funeral clothes" to the meeting and Sam's since my day was packed with appointments and errands. I swung into Taco Bell and ordered two MexiMelts and got three barritos. I unwrap the first one, take a bite, and the guts dump out of the other end right on my pants. Great. So I had to go home and round up more clothes, went to the funeral (which was nice) and then to Adrienne's house (post funeral). Then I had an Emergency Nurses's Meeting at 6:00pm at the Le Crepe. I always look forward to the meetings so I can visit with my Ormond ER buddies. Well, 8 people from Ormond were signed up to attend so I saved a big table. No one showed up! I sat at that big table by myself like a big goof ball for over an hour. How embarressing. Finally, I was invited to join another table and actually had a nice time. Then home to Dave and Larry. I can always count on them to make things better. AHHHH...the day ended. OK, I got that off my chest, I feel better.

I guess it takes the bad days to appreciate the good. Then to take it a step further, if that's all I got the whine about then I should be extremely grateful. When I'm at work and see all the misery and suffering, it makes my problems seem so small....like I don't deserve to complain.