Baby, it's cold outside!

The Trout and I just came in from our second walk of the day. It is cold right now, 41 degrees. It will be much colder tonight. My beautiful poinsettias are hurting even though they have been covered for 2 days.

The farmers down here are hurting. We live in the Florida strawberry capital area and there will be a lot of loss. The oranges, lemons, grapefruits will be damaged.

The last time it snowed, and probably the first time, in Miami, was January, 1977. I don't think that will be repeated, but people who have lived in the south all their lives are also hurting. Growing up in Iowa and living most of my live in Michigan and northern Wisconsin, we know what cold is. It can get much, much worse than this.

And so, my thoughts this evening go towards all the warnings we have had about 'global warming'. Is is wrong for me to doubt that theory? Our entire country right now is very, very cold. A little warming would be greatly appreciated.

And finally, a little bit of advice to my northern friends. Florida is a wonderful state to visit, but plan your trips very carefully. January and February is not the best time to leave the deep freeze in search of Florida warmth. We will have sunshine, but we also have winter. It is just not as bad as elsewhere. I hate to see families save for trips to Florida, to Disney and other attractions only to be frozen out and disappointed. It will get better and warmer down here, but not right now.

We are home!!

We are finally home. After almost 13,000 miles of safe driving in a 3 month period, we arrived home with a sign of relief. The work has started. Lots of outside work this time of year in Florida. The Trout smells like a rosemary roast. Our one rosemary plant, planted 3 years ago, is huge again and needs a lot of trimming. I wish I could share the clippings with you. I love the aroma.

Computer tech spent 5 hours here yesterday. Seems our computer, which was totally turned off and unplugged for 3 months developed a lot of 'stuff'.' Working temporarily but will probably need to be totally scrubbed and then reinstalled.

Then after washing dishes by hand for 3 months, the dishwasher seems to be locked up. It happens a lot in the south if you don't use appliances for a while. Repairman coming tomorrow. One year our disposal locked up. I now pour 2 cups of vegetable oil down the disposal before we leave. That seems to keep it working.

I will be posting more often as we get settled. It just feels good to be back even though we had a terrific summer. Met so many wonderful people, including 3 blogger friends. There is nothing wrong with that at all. I hope it will happen more often.

It's Called Golf

My day was so exciting! The Trout left early this morning for Orlando to play security guard on the 17th hole of the Bay Hill Golf Course. A group of us arrived later as spectators. I never in my wildest dream imagined that I would enjoy watching golf so much, but the last three years have proven to me that this is a wonderful sport to observe.

Of course, the day was beautiful, enough clouds to make the sun enjoyable even though the temperature did reach 83 degrees. We were sitting at the 9th hole and at one time, a golf ball came flying and landed 3 feet from my feet from where I was sitting. So exciting! And then, of course, you gotta love him, Tiger Woods played very near to where I was sitting. This guy has a talent that is so great, I just admire him and love to see him play in person.

The Trout gets to get back each day through Sunday, but I will be watching the Golf Channel on TV. The Bichon does not like being alone so long in her old age, even though she got so many treats from a neighbor who took care of her. The child that never leaves home, but that's okay!

So, don't disturb me while the golf game is on TV. I will be totally absorbed.

We went Spanish today!

We took a road trip today for lunch and took our friends Gary and Sue along. We went to a favorite restaurant of ours, Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. It is located just at the outskirts of Tampa and is a fairly quick drive from home. There are six locations of this Spanish restaurant in Florida and we have eaten at three of them. This one, in Ybor City, is the original, started in 1905.

I usually have the same lunch each time because it is so very good. They have a "1905 Salad" that they mix at the table. Lettuce, smoked ham, swiss cheese, tomatoes, lots of Spanish olives, Romano cheese and a wonderful dressing made with garlic, olive oil, vinegar, oregano and lots of Worcestershire sauce. It is so good and addictive. Along with this comes a hunk of warm Cuban bread. I always opt for the Cuban Black Bean soup topped with chopped raw onion. As if this is not enough, we all wanted a pitcher of Sangria that they mixed right at the table also. They add their fruit juice mix, orange and lime slices and Spanish red wine, a small amount of brandy and ice. Needless to say, we emptied the pitcher.

This original restaurant is very beautiful. Lots of Spanish tiles and Moorish influence in the decoration of the inside, especially the ornate doorways and a fountain in one of the courtyard rooms. A very delightful restaurant and usually very busy. It is only in the last 10 years that the restaurant has relented to let women also be waiters. The men are dressing very formally and they are very professional.

Golden Trumpets

I have always loved pink and red flowers. Especially in Florida, they bloom all year long. But this time of year, there is a very special tree that doesn't bloom for a long time, but it is breathtaking.

It is called the golden trumpet tree or Tabebvia chrysotricha. I have also read where it is the official flower of Brazil. The leaves all fall off the trees and these beautiful yellow trumpet shaped flowers replace them. For some reason, they are usually planted in a row along boulevards and streets. It is just a magnificent site. Enjoy!!

It's Time for Baseball

I have always loved baseball. It started years ago when my friend's mom and dad took us to St. Louis to watch the Dodgers play the Cardinals. This was probably 1961. My friend's dad, Bill Zuber, had played professional ball with the Yankees and other teams in the 40's. He got us right up to the ballplayers and I got lots of autographs of that time. Sandy Koufax, Larry Sherry, Stan Musial, Leo Durocher, and many others.

In high school, since my sweetie was pitching for our team, I managed to get a job as a scorekeeper and was able to go to the away games as well as the home games. The Trout was a great pitcher.

So yesterday, we went to a baseball game. Lakeland is the winter training ground for the Detroit Tigers. We saw the Tigers beat the Mets 7-2. In an amazing game, 3 bats were broken by the Mets. (We suspected termites).

The beauty of the green grass, the brown dirt and the pattern of the ball diamond is just very beautiful to me. It was a great day out in the Florida 78 degree sunshine. In a week we will see the Tigers play the Yankees. That will be exciting as well!!