Family Visit, Softball Tournament, and Lots of Eating

3/13
Friday the 13th. We didn’t leave our Florida house until 9 am because there was a bad accident on I-95 earlier in the morning. As we headed north, we hit horrible rainstorms, and traffic was horrible. We decided to stop in Melbourne and get some gas at Sam’s Club, but the gas line was probably an hour long wait, so instead, we went inside to get a soft pretzel and a drink. Then we headed west on Hwy 192, and there was a lot of traffic on it also. We stopped at Sam’s Club in Kissimmee about 1:30 pm, and the gas line wasn’t too bad. Then we went inside to get some supplies. We arrived at Club Wyndham Reunion about 3 pm and checked in. Our condo was a 3-bedroom condo, which looked the same as the one we were in last year, but at a different address. We went out to get a Subway sandwich and brought it back to the condo to eat. Then we relaxed until Deanna arrived at about 10:30 pm. We stayed up and talked until 12:30 am.

3/14

I was up at my usual time of 5 am. We just relaxed until mid-morning when we went to First Watch for brunch. Then we spent the day watching basketball games and eating junk food while Don took a couple of walks around the complex. Deanna cooked us corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. At about 5:30, we had a delicious dinner! In the evening, we decided we wanted some ice cream and ended up getting our favorite ice cream at Publix. By 9:30, I was falling asleep.

3/15
Around 10 am, we drove to the place Kaeli and her team were staying. We dropped off a case of water and some other things. Then we went to the Nike Clearance Store and the Hurley store and bought some great things. Next, we went to Raising Cane’s for lunch, and the food was delicious. Last, we stopped at Krispie Kreme for 2 dozen doughnuts to take back to the condo. The rest of the day was spent watching Basketball and the selection process for the brackets.

3/16
We left for Fortune Rd. Athletic Complex at 10:30. When we got to the fields, parking was almost full. Our game started around 12:15, so we got a soft pretzel right before the game started. I’m glad I brought a small cooler with drinks. We were ahead by the 6th inning when it started to thunder and lightning so at 2:07, the announcer announced for everyone to get off the field. We sat in our car and waited for the all-clear announcement. Around 3:30, we were allowed back in, and the teams completed the last inning. I’m glad we won the game! We left the game and headed to Logan’s Roadhouse for the team dinner. The food was delicious!

3/17
It was cold when we got up this morning! Deanna had to work so we just hung out and relaxed while she worked. Around 4 pm, the workman came to repair the dishwasher and replace a light bulb in the kitchen. Then we went to the St. Patrick’s Day festival at Sunset Walk. It was fun to walk around and see the vendors and street performers. We thought about eating at Ford’s Garage, but it was a 90-minute wait. So, we had dinner at Cracker Barrel. On the way back to the condo, we stopped at Walmart, and it was chaos there. There were so many people who seemed to be in a desperate hurry to get what they wanted and get out. We couldn’t wait to get what we needed so we could leave.

3/18
It was another cold morning. Kaeli had 2 games today. We got to the field around 8:40 and got a great parking place. We sat in the car until around 9:30. The wind was blowing hard during the first game, but we won. Then I had time to get a soft pretzel right before the second game started. We won the second game too. Both games were fun, but the second one was a nail-biter. We stopped at Sam’s Club to fill up on gas when Kaeli asked us to bring her some food because the team wasn’t going to dinner until 5:30. We got Chick-fil-A for her, and then brought our dinner with us. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing.

3/19
We picked up Kael from her team house and went shopping at the Vineland Outlets. Kaeli bought a lot from the Nike Outlet, and then we went to the Under Armour store. On the way back, we picked up Dave’s Hot Chicken for lunch and met Jamison back at the condo. The chicken was really spicy hot! We went back to the condo and met up with Jameson. Then we sat around until Kaeli realized we needed to get dinner before returning her to the team house. We went to Ford’s Garage, but when we were ready to order, the server told us he didn’t think it would be ready in time, so Deanna and Kaeli got their food to go. Deanna drove Kaeli back to the team house, while we had dinner and visited with Jameson. Deanna came back to pick us up.

3/20
Today was Kaeli’s last game, and she won the game. We went back to the condo and met up with Jameson. We went back to the store to exchange Jameson’s shorts that Kaeli bought him for a different size. We stopped at Ford’s Garage again to have a more relaxing meal. In the evening, we watch March Madness basketball games.

3/21
When Deanna went to pick up Kaeli, we packed up our stuff and the car. When they returned, we spent a few hours at the pool, which was nice. Then we all went to Topgolf, where we met other softball players, a mom, and a granddad. It was fun to watch. Then it took forever to get Kaeli back to the team house. We hit a huge traffic jam entering the subdivision where her house was. We got back to our condo and finished packing up the car. Don went to bed early because we planned to get up early.

3/22
We were up at 3 am and left at 3:30 for South Carolina.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Return to FL

We left South Carolina at 4:45 am Friday, 10/17/25, and arrived in FL by 3 pm. We stopped about 3 times for the rest area and ate lunch at McDonald's. We took down the hurricane shutters, and Bob and Donna helped us raise the living room and bedroom awning. When we arrived, the AC was not working, and I texted Lucas (neighbor who works on our HVAC system) to see if he could put us on his list for Monday. He said he was able to come right over, so he found a broken wire on the condenser (maybe from the lawn company?) and had to add refrigerant to the unit. Now it works beautifully!

On Saturday, we went grocery shopping, and in the evening, we went to the car show. Donna and Bob had entered their trucks in the show, and Donna won a trophy for the best decorated.

On Sunday, I dusted and vacuumed. Don cut the candlestick bush that had overgrown. We put out the patio furniture and put away the hurricane shutters. Then Don moved the hose reel next to the laundry room door, and it is much easier to use the hose now.

Monday, we trimmed the bushes under the bedroom window and the Golden Dewdrop bush in the front yard. I’m glad we finished before it got too hot. We went to Home Depot and I bought 2 plants: a milkweed and an impatiens.

Tuesday morning, I went shopping with Donna.. We went to Rorabecks (I bought a beautiful tomato plant and a lantana flower). For lunch, Don and I went to Flanigans because we had a 20% off coupon for our meal. It was good to see our server, Jeff, again.

Wednesday morning, I did a load of laundry before Don woke up. After breakfast, we went to the beach. It was a beautiful morning, and there was hardly anyone there at 9:30. We got in the water for about an hour, and we were the only ones in the water the whole time.

On Thursday, one of Donna’s new kittens came to visit us. It was a little orange and white kitten that I call Nosey because it seemed very curious. We sat on the swing, and he explored the back patio. And when we moved to the front screened room, he followed us there. He spent the morning in our screened room, and I asked Donna where I should take him when I went in for lunch, so she came and got him. A few minutes later, he wandered back to our door, and I let him in. He spent the rest of the afternoon taking a nap in the screened room. A guy knocked on our window, who said he was a contractor with the electric company. He needed access to our backyard because they are going to replace a utility pole in the back corner behind our shed. They can reach it from the other street, even though it is on the other side of our fence. We stressed that they better not tear up our yard or our irrigation system, and he said they wouldn’t. It should happen within the next 3 weeks.

Today is Friday, and I’m sitting on the front porch enjoying this beautiful breeze. They say it will get cold next week, but I’m not sure what they consider cold.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

55¢ Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park stamp (US #5468)

The U.S. Postal Service released a special stamp in 2020 to honor Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park in Florida. This stamp, numbered 5468, is part of the "American Gardens" series, which features ten beautiful gardens from across the United States. The photograph on the stamp, taken by Allen Rokach, shows a lovely walkway lined with pink and white flowers. The stamp was first issued on May 13, 2020, in Winterthur, Delaware, as part of a collection celebrating the beauty of public gardens.​

Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park is located in Tallahassee, Florida. Alfred and Louise Maclay began creating the gardens in 1923, combining native and exotic plants to design a scenic landscape. They wanted the gardens to bloom in winter and early spring, the time they spent there. After Alfred died in 1944, Louise opened the gardens to the public and later donated them to the state in 1953. In 1965, the gardens were renamed to honor Alfred B. Maclay.

Today, the park is known for its beautiful camellias and azaleas, with over 150 types of camellias and more than 60 varieties of azaleas. Visitors can enjoy the colorful blooms, especially in mid-March. The gardens are maintained to look as they did in 1953, offering a glimpse into the past. This special stamp helps share the story and beauty of Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park with people all over the country.

References:
https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/new-postal-stamp-commemorates-alfred-b-maclay-gardens-state-park
https://www.gcamerica.org/news/get/id/2898 https://www.mysticstamp.com/5468-2020-first-class-forever-stamp-american-gardens-alfred-b-maclay-garden-state-park-fl/

1996 32c Endangered Species: Florida Manatee

In January, we visited the Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach (free admission and free parking). After seeing so many manatees in the lagoon, I started thinking about what stamp they might be on. Then I found that the 1996 Florida Manatee (US #3105o) is part of a set of 15 stamps picturing Endangered Species. The first day of issue was on October 2, 1996, at the San Diego Zoo in California. The zoo was celebrating its 80th birthday. The photographer, James Balog, went to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa to photograph the pair of manatees used on this stamp.

It was issued as part of the USPS’s National Stamp Collecting Month and the theme was “Collect and Protect.” It was hoped that these stamps would catch the interest of children and encourage them to become stamp collectors. This month was co-sponsored by the USPS and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

The Florida manatee is a large, slow-moving mammal that lives in the warm waters of Florida and other parts of the southeastern United States. Manatees are often called "sea cows" because they graze on underwater plants, much like cows eat grass on land. They can grow to be about 10 to 13 feet long and weigh as much as 1,000 pounds or more. These gentle animals spend most of their time eating and swimming in shallow waters like rivers, bays, and coastal areas. Manatees have thick, wrinkled gray skin and a flat, paddle-shaped tail that helps them move through the water. They also have a very small number of teeth, which they replace throughout their lives as they wear them down from chewing plants. Manatees are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants, and they consume a lot of vegetation each day—up to 10% of their body weight. They are not aggressive animals and are known for their calm and friendly nature. However, their population is at risk because of threats like boat collisions, habitat loss, and pollution. Conservation efforts, such as creating manatee protection zones and reducing pollution, are helping to protect them. In recent years, manatee populations are slowly increasing, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service still considers them a vulnerable species.

References:
Photos by Pat Hensley
https://www.mysticstamp.com/3105o-1996-32c-endangered-species-florida-manatee/
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2021). Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris). Retrieved from https://www.fws.gov.

The Rain Finally Quit

The rain finally quit and I needed to get out of the house for a few minutes. I did a little weeding and then took the yard waste to the street. I sat on the front porch for a few minutes before my neighbor came out to visit so we stood in the sun for a little while and talked. It felt good to get some fresh air. As I went in, she said she had some caterpillars on her candlestick bush so I had to see them. Life goes on, even when it’s cold! 

Manatee Lagoon and Jupiter Lighthouse

Since it was cool outside yesterday, we decided it would be a good time to visit the Manatee Lagoon. We had never been there before so we thought it would be fun. There was no admission cost or parking cost which made it even better. They had a nice visitor center with much information about manatees and their habitat. Then we went upstairs to an outdoor balcony where you could look down in the inlet and see the manatees. There were tons of manatees there (I stopped counting at 30). We saw several mamas with their babies. While we were there a school group came up beside me and it was so nice to hear their gasps and sounds of amazement. Then we went downstairs and walked along the outside walk to look for manatees but the view was much better from the top balcony.

 

After the lagoon, we headed north to the Jupiter Lighthouse. We had seen it several times on the news but we had never visited there before. When we arrived, we paid our $12 admission fee (senior/veterans rate) and found out that a tour was beginning at noon if we wanted to join it. We had a little time before the tour to go into the museum. Frank was the docent giving the tour and he was wonderful. He talked about the Native American history of the area before the lighthouse was built. Then he talked about the history of the lighthouse. Along the brick walk, we saw many bricks with names on them and we found one with Jimmy Buffet’s name on it. Then we climbed up to the top of the lighthouse (34 steps up to the base and 105 steps up to the top). The view was beautiful and worth seeing. When we decided to leave because we were getting hungry, we were surprised to see that we had been there for almost 3 hours.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Walking, Grocery Shopping, and Knitting

Today was the perfect day. It was about 70F when I sat outside to enjoy the morning. I love mornings!

After my hubby woke up and finished breakfast, he invited me to go on a walk with him. He is trying to get back into the routine of walking three times a week in the neighborhood. Today was our second day. I finished my aerobic workout before he woke up so I closed my exercise ring for the day but I still wanted the steps.

After walking, we went grocery shopping. First, we stopped at Aldi’s and hubby realized he had forgotten his wallet so I drove to Walmart when we left. After Walmart, we had to go home to put away the cold and frozen foods. Next, we went up to Costco and it was very crowded.

Once we got home, I sat outside some more and did some knitting. Hubby decided to wash the car.

In the evening after dinner, we watched Twilight Zone episodes on Amazon Prime Video.

Things we saw on our walk: 

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Bills, Taxes, and Enjoying the Front Porch

It was a lovely day today. I always (or at least try to) balance my checkbook every Friday and pay bills. Then I worked on our taxes. I usually start this on the first of February but I kept putting it off this year. Yesterday I gathered all the needed info and filled in a spreadsheet. That makes it easier to fill out all the tax forms. Today was the first draft of my taxes. I usually review it once a week and find a mistake every week. Next week I will plug the numbers in on the form that is on my computer.

I spent most of the day I sat outside on the front porch. I knit, played games on my phone, and browsed the internet. I watched season 12 episodes of Chicago Fire that I’ve missed. I went inside to eat lunch and watch The Waltons. Little Bear wanted in the screened porch so I let her in and she went to the corner chair for her nap. After lunch, I sat back outside until dinner time.

I will miss my time on the front porch. The weather is so perfect at this time of year. It isn’t too hot and it isn’t too cold.

Floor Restoration

For a couple of years now, I’ve talked about restoring the terrazzo floors in our Florida home and I finally got my husband to agree to do it. I put in 4 calls to different companies and I only got one to call back. They sent out a guy who offered to do it and we agreed. Of course, I couldn’t remember which company it was that showed up. So, we wrote up a simple contract and when he came out, we had him sign it before he started the job. We paid him half at the end of the first day and the remainder of the money on the last day. He did ask for a $100 advance on the third day which we gave him. Then on the last day, he wanted the full payment after only being here for 2 hours and we refused to do it until the end of the job. It took 4 days and our house was in total chaos. But I’m glad we finally got it all done!

Return to Florida

We returned to Florida last week and this is the earliest we have come down for the winter. Last week was unbearably hot and this week, it has finally cooled down. We came down early because of the postcard show and the stamp show.

Since we have been here, we have checked over the house and Don has trimmed the bushes. I have been trying to reset the irrigation system but I may have to call the help line. I can water it manually, but the auto program is not working.

Three of the cats have remembered us and are constantly coming over to visit. Squeaky is getting very old and I am not sure she will last another year. Little Bear, the blind cat, is over here all the time and if I’m on the front porch, she wants inside. Roadrunner surprised us by coming over to visit on her own. Usually, she comes over to visit if our neighbor, Donna comes to visit.

Thank goodness for our Nest thermostat which kept the house pretty comfortable until we arrived.

It feels good to sit on the front porch and knit in the mornings.

One day I went shopping with Donna. We went to Ollies, The Girls, and Western Beef. We had fun and got to visit while shopping. 

This week, we met my cousins Wayne and Lorraine for lunch at Flanigan's. It is our favorite restaurant but it is only in Florida. After lunch, we went to their house to see their new kitchen and floors. The house is amazing!   

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Hurricane Matthew

We have been watching the path of Hurricane Matthew and worried about my parents in southern FL. My father is 96 and my stepmom is 91 and live directly in the path of the hurricane. We hurriedly packed our car on Tuesday with supplies and headed south while it seemed as if everyone else was heading northwest to get away from the storm. We had a easy drive south even though we did get in traffic from a car hauler catching on fire. Luckily we had just passed an exit and was able to follow other cars down the emergency lane back up the on-ramp to get off the interstate.

The next day we put up the hurricane shutters over their windows and prepared to battle out the storm together.

This makes me appreciate my family so much. I’m so thankful for a loving supporting husband who was willing to get us here to be with them. I appreciate my parents so much and I’m so glad that we can be here together which I know makes them feel better (there is safety in numbers!).

At the time this is published, the storm should be hitting us with full force. I don’t know how we will fare but I ask that you keep us and everyone who is facing this massive major hurricane in your prayers.

Disney World November 2015

Since we have annual passes for Disney, we decided to drive down to Florida last week and spend a few days at Disney World.

Sunday 11/1/15:

We left at 5am and it took about 8 hours to reach Kissimmee. After looking at coupons in the Hotel coupon book, we decided to try the Champions Resort Hotel on Hwy 192 West. It cost us $55 for the night ($39 coupon + $7 resort fee + taxes). It was an okay room but the bed was small. Don couldn’t ever get any hot water and the sink didn’t drain well. The air condition ran all night but we were comfortable. But we slept well anyway.

After checking in, we went to Epcot and spent the day there. It was really neat to see the park after dark with all the pretty lights. I would have liked to stay for the fireworks show but we were too exhausted.

Monday 11/2/15:

First we went to the Super 8 on Hwy 192 East and checked in. The room was $51 for the night ($45 + tax) plus a free breakfast. I think I like this place better than the one on Sunday. Then we ate breakfast at Denny’s and then went to the Magic Kingdom all day. When we were ready to leave, we took the monorail to Epcot to get our “passport” stamped for the third time, which meant we received a free wine glass from the Food and Wine Festival.  We stopped at Chick-fil-a for dinner before returning to the motel at 7:30 pm.

Tuesday 11/3/15:

Before breakfast, we paid for another night at the Super 8. After breakfast we went to Animal Kingdom until lunchtime. Then we went to Denny’s and had a big lunch before going on to Hollywood Studios.  It was really hot and humid all day long but we had a great day! I like being able to get my 10,000+ steps in every day when we are here.  We stopped by CVS and got medicine refilled for Don. For dinner we went to Chick-fil-a and had terrible service 2 nights in a row at the same place so I sent them an email when we got back to the room.

Wednesday 11/4/15:

We checked out of the motel after breakfast.

Things I Learned:

1.     Resort fees are a rip off!

2.     During the Food and Wine Festival, they gave away free wine glasses if you visited Epcot on 3 different days and had them stamp your “passport.”

3.     If the wait time is too long for a ride, come back later and the line will probably be shorter.

4.     Cheetahs don’t roar.

5.     Elephants are afraid of bees.

6.     I’m glad we have our medicine filled at CVS because it is easy to get medicine filled in FL when we travel.

Original photo by Pat Hensley