Red Hat Lunch Day

Here's me & The Ho on our way to this month's Red Hat lunch at The School of Fish in Windmark Beach. Not being a huge fish eater I had the french dip with swiss cheese. Yummo! A couple of the girls had baked oysters & even though I don't eat them myself they looked gorgeous. One did Rockefeller and another did Bienville. Both said they were outstanding.

Back at the motel after lunch, I had to get into unit # 5 where a simple paint job turned into an ugly tile nightmare. There were some loose & cracked tiles on the shower floor & I figured I could repair them. When I started taking up the loose ones, more & more came up and underneath I saw the original mosaic style tile, so got a chisel and hammer & exposed the original floor. It was in terrible condition and I realized what a mistake I made, but now I was stuck. So for the past two days I've been regrouting and cleaning & today caulking. It still looks like hell and I'm exhausted.

I'm going to have to come up with a plan C, but for now at least it shouldn't leak. We have people checking in on Friday, so I guess I'll find out.

Memorial Day Weekend

The reports of heavy rain every day caused several cancellations and I must admit, Thursday,

and Friday were pretty dismal. Saturday wasn't too bad and yesterday & today were both hot and sunny. Just what people come here for.

While most folks were getting together with friends and family for barbeques, I spent the morning cleaning and the afternoon scraping and painting the bathroom in #5. 5 is a smoking room and the smokers I get here are very careless. They burn the carpet, bedding & bathroom shelves, but aside from that, the shower was peeling paint and starting to mildew. So even though I don't usually put extra effort into the smoking rooms, this one was offending me. I have a nice feeling of accomplishment now that the job is half done. I scraped & primed the shower stall, finished coated the door & trim plus the baseboards which were looking dingy to me.

Tomorrow, I'll finish paint the shower, plus scrape out old caulk & redo. I'll finish up by shampooing the carpet. It'll be a kinda tough day since there are 5 turnovers to do first, but once I get started on a project, I'm totally motivated.

Habla Espanol?

Even though I frequently have spanish speaking guests, most of whom don't let on how much english they understand, I have been resisting learning their language well enough to actually converse.

My reasoning up until this point has been that, dammit, this is America. If you want to spend time here learn english!

I've done a 180. Now I'm feeling that learning better spanish is a defensive move. I just need to know what these people are saying in order to stay on equal ground. They have an advantage & I can't stand that. I need to have if not the upper hand, at least an equal hand.

That said, I've tried a couple of on line courses. Totally boring. I like books, because I'm a reader & a visual learner. They're not, however, interactive. Rosetta Stone is highly rated, but way too pricey. I don't know where to go from here. Still researching. Suggestions welcome.

We Need to SKYPE

Oprah just did a whole show by chatting with people all over the world, including in a plane 37,000 feet over California, and a submarine off the coast of Hawaii.

SKYPE is a FREE download that allows you to chat for FREE in real time via your computer with other people on SKYPE all over the world. It's terrific for keeping in touch with family and friends, but it has so many other possibilities. One kid was taking music lessons from a teacher 6,000 miles away, a lady was laying on her own couch getting therapy from her psychiatrist miles away, a California vintner was conducting a wine tasting with several people in several locations at the same time.

You don't need a web cam, but one would enhance your experience, since the person you're talking with would be able to see you. I'm not sure how I feel about that, since when in my office I'm often nude....kidding. But I'm not always looking my best.

I created a Dixie Belle Motel account. I can use it to contact family, but it will also allow my guests to reserve rooms with a credit card over a very secure environment, saving them a long distance phone call. We can do real time reservations without a telephone. Amazing. We can post photos and videos.

Just look into it. I think you'll be as fascinated as I am. There are already 400,000 million people using this free service.

Shocked & disappointed

I've been following American Idol since the beginning of the season and toward the end switched my vote from Danny Gokey to Adam Lambert, because Adam is a stone superstar.

His talent and charisma are undeniable. Kris is cute & talented, but not even in the same league as Adam. Kris was totally shocked when he won, and with good reason.

Sadly, I feel that Adam's being gay affected the voting & I say shame on all of you! You denied the most deserving of the ultimate prize, but in the end he will be the star & we'll probably never hear from Kris again. I'm just so pissed at this moment......

Yearly Physical

Today I suffered the indignities of the second half of a complete physical exam. The first part, done 6 wks ago, was a verbal exchange of info, leading to several diagnostic tests. Today was an actual naked exam. Happy to say that all looks good at this point, inside & out.

This doctor however, is a black & white kind of guy who goes by the book. Even though I lied to him about my daily wine intake, actually lost 10 lbs and cut salt almost completely out of my diet, his parting words were like a knife through my heart.

"Lose more weight, quit drinking and walk 3 miles a day at a brisk pace." Also, "buy a recumbent bike an exercise those creaky knees before they get much worse." This guy is nuts!

So after my appt, The Ho & I went to lunch where I downed 3 Bloodies and a club sandwich.

Thees ees my other wife

This is just too good not to share. The backstory is that Juan is a doll faced latino charmer, who has been working on the deep water port & staying with us since February. I've gotten to know him pretty well & like him very much. He's the spokesman for his group of six.

He originally told me his wife & family lived in the Fl Keys. A couple of the other guys have brought their families up here from the Keys for visits & mail comes regularly with south Florida postmarks.

Yesterday, I'm out in the laundry room when Juan comes to the doorway. He asks if I have another room available. Well, next weekend being the Memorial holiday, I told him I only had something for 4 days & asked why. He lowered his voice, smiled sheepishly and said, "my wife is here for a visit, my other wife, from Mexico." If he thought I was going to pass judgement or react with shock, he didn't have to worry. I just told him to give me a couple of minutes to finish up outside & I'd meet him in the office.

When I walked out of the laundry room, he was waiting with a very pretty lady sitting on a chair outside of room # 10.

We all arrive at the office and Juan introduces me to his "wife." "She lives in Mexico City and doesn't speak any english." I shake hands with her & ask her name in espanol. She is Anna Rosa & I introduce myself to her.

After they have 4 days alone in a room of their own, he's moving her into the 2 room kitchen unit he's been sharing. The job is coming to an end and 2 of the guys are moving out this weekend. Juan, his cousin and Anna Rosa will stay until the first week in June.

Thank goodness for cell phones, ...or not. When people want to contact someone staying here, they don't call on the main line anymore. Everyone does cell phones. So much easier to keep multiple spouses from running into each other.

Ike's 50th Bday

Here's Ike & Danielle at the gift opening with the grandkids, Dustin & Courtney looking on.

It was a good crowd and a fun party. Danielle & Ike's St Aug friends are good people. Fun too. Of course we stayed too late and paid for it the next day. Brother Paul, Mike & Sue, (Ike's brother & sister-in-law as well as our dear friends) came from Palm Springs CA to join in the festivities.

On Sunday, we had a lunch date with high school girlfriend Snookie and husband Bill at their home about 45 minutes north of St. Augustine. They're such nice people and gracious hosts. We so enjoyed their hospitality. Snookie's chicken salad is primo. My mouth is watering thinking about it.

We spent a couple of hours at their lovely home talking, reminiscing and laughing.

Later on Sunday, we went back to Ike & Danielle's for a Mother's Day cookout. Every one of us was beat. You should have seen us laying all over the furniture trying to be sociable. Ike cooked burgers and hot dogs and Danielle prepared the spread. They both deserve a medal for their efforts considering that they were as wiped out as the rest of us.

We all ate like pigs & then watched one of our favorite movies, Tropic Thunder. Laughing our butts off wore us all out & sent me & Dan back to the Holiday Inn.

This morning we all got together for a farewell breakfast at the Oasis. I really enjoyed my fatty, salty

yummy meals this weekend. Time to go home & get real.

Windows On The Wash

Delivered 2 hours ago, this new Maytag stainless steel tub is my new best friend.

This baby will efficiently hold and wash 1/3 more than the old one. Power wise, it uses $46 worth of electricity in one year. Awesome.

It's stainless steel tub allows it to spin faster than porcelain enamel, so dryer time is cut down as well.

I have already finished the motel laundry for the day, so I emptied our personal hamper in there for the inaugural ride. Its all in the dryer now. So exciting.

The best part is that if TV gets boring I can always hang out in the laundry room & watch the wash.

Michele's Personal Barstool

This weekend, we're going to daughter Danielle's for son-in-law Ike's 50th birthday bash.

They have a huge bar separating the kitchen & family room and it's the main gathering place in the house. I usually station myself at the bar. It's the best vantage point for seeing what's going on in the game room & living room too. Besides, I'm a bar person. I'm comfortable there. The only drawback is that to hang out at this primo location, I have to stand, because, there are no barstools. This is getting very old, not to mention tiring.

I've had it! This time I'm bringing my own. I painted the legs black to match their kitchen counter top and when the weekend is over, I will leave it there. To ensure my VIP seating on subsequent trips I have labeled the seat on the underside. When I'm in the house, no squatters allowed.

Crazy Glue

Next time anyone gets a cut requiring stitches, ask for Crazy Glue. It doesn't hurt like stitches & works like a charm. I don't know this from personal experience, but saw a guy on TV who says he couldn't afford stitches, so the hospital Crazy Glued his cut together. If you or anyone you know tries it, let me know how it works.

Leader Of The Pack

We accidently found this show on HGTV and it's one of our new favs.

We're fans of the competitive reality shows and this one is a combo of The Bachelor and Survivor with way more loveable contestants.

This is a photo of Piper, who I think is one of the frontrunners.

Here's the premise. A family of five wants a dog to join their family. Mom & Dad want a small quiet dog who doesn't shed. The kids, 2 boys & the youngest, a girl, are a bit divided. The boys lean toward bigger, more active dogs.

On the first episode, 10 pound puppies were introduced to the family and after an afternoon of familiarization had to eliminate 2. The kids got to pick 4 & the parents 4. They gave "rose" colored treats to the winners.

The remaining puppies all live in the family's home and compete for rewards and/or immunity with one being elimated each episode. The family is interesting and the puppies are adorable, but with enough differences in personality to make the outcome a cliff hanger. A fun and addicting family show. Check it out on Sunday nights at 8.

Plastic Coated Oven Shelves

Our resident house wrecker, Violet the cat has a thing for loaves of bread. Once one is opened and the twist tie used to secure it again, if left out, Violet will get in her teeth and drag the entire loaf to her lair so she can ravage it at her leisure.

We've taken to stowing the bread in the nuker, but for some reason, day before yesterday, Dan told me he stuck it in the oven. I said, OK, I just have to remember it's in there.

So last night, I'm making Dan a baked salmon dinner (I haven't had dinner in 5 weeks 'cause I'm on a diet) and I turn the oven on to 350 to preheat. After a bit I started smelling an unusual odor. Yeah, you guessed it.

Damn good thing she's cute.

And The Winner Is

This was a monumental win by a dark horse who cost his owners only $9,500. Jockey Calvin Borel navigated the rail pack masterfully. He never could have done that without a horse he knew had speed under him.

The horse had the ability, but the jockey had the smarts, experience & guts to bring him to the winners circle. I love a cinderella story & this was a great one.

By the way, I decided not to make a bet. I enjoyed the race without prejudice and it was a real pleasure.

Kentucky Derby

I always get so excited waiting for Derby Day. This gorgeous guy is Dunkirk, my emotional favorite. I'm a sucker for the grey ones. But...this year, I may actually place a bet & I'm not sure this beauty is the one I'll go with. He just doesn't have much of a history. I don't usually bet, but I'm always sitting here by myself wishing I was having a party or at one & I just want to add to the suspense of the greatest 2 minutes in sports, by actually placing a bet.

I had to look up on line the types of bets one makes on horse races, because all I ever knew was win, place or show. I've had such fun researching but I'm more confused than ever. I want to combine Dunkirk with another favorite, maybe Fresian Fire, who's a mudder & it's probably going to be raining at the Downs on Saturday, plus a long shot or two. Still figuring it out.

Adding to my enjoyment this year has been the Kentucky Derby 135 web site. I had no idea they had such diverse stuff available. They have fabulous party supplies, food, recipes, decorating ideas, & of course all you ever wanted to know about the contenders, their trainers, jockeys, owners and much, much more. Next year, maybe I'll order all that stuff & have a party of one.