Cold Morning...Warm Bread

I thought we were in Florida!  The thermometer read a nippy 38 degrees when we crawled out of our cozy bed this morning!!  No frost and no ice on the birdbath, which is really nice.  I know, don't be such a complainer.... Vt is below ZERO !  Well, it sure is nice out there now at 3 PM.  Don't even need my sweater.  And one does sleep really well when it is cooler.

I have slowed down a bit this week.  All our activities at the Hall have been cancelled because of a nasty respiratory bug that has so many laid low.  We are hoping to stop its spread by not having so many public gatherings.  SO I have done some housework, knit another scarf, made a big pot of soup today and a loaf of really great bread.   Rosemary olive oil bread. We had some for lunch, right out of the oven!  Yum ! Here's the recipe if you want to try it.

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

1 C. Warm Water

1 Tbsp. Sugar 

2 Tsp yeast

Combine these in a med. sized bowl then mix spices and flour together

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. fresh or 2 tsp. dried Rosemary

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp each... basil and oregano

1/4 tsp. garlic granules

2 C. flour  (I used 1 cup each bread flour and all purpose flour)

1 egg white and 1 tsp water for a wash just before baking

Mix up... knead and set to rise in warm place till doubled, about 40 min.

Punch down and knead till you can form a nice round loaf.

Place on a greased backing sheet or round baking stone if you have one.

When risen again, coat with the egg wash and sprinkle on another tsp. of rosemary

Bake at 350 for about 30-35 min.  

It was great warm!

Tomorrow my new cell phone arrives.... so they tell me !  Hope so as I am anxious to have an updated one.  It will take me awhile to learn how to use it I'm sure.  It will have a touch screen and be capable of lots of things.  (Bet it can't make a loaf of bread!)   I decided NOT to go with an iphone simply because I am to frugal to pay the monthly extravagance of having such a fancy one.  I did get an LG800G, which has a lot of bells and whistles IF I decide I want to use them or order apps.  TracFone has them now and I like the no contract concept and I now get triple minutes.  SO we will see how that works.

Just went out to pick some collards for my friend.  They grow like crazy here.  We have a Cardinal couple who come every afternoon to eat at the feeder and take a bath in the bird bath.  I have never before seen a male Cardinal hop right into the bird bath and splash around.  The little birds do it all the time but he really splashes it up!  Yesterday we had a bluebird come and check out the bluebird house.  Last year we didn't get any bluebirds.  Hope they liked the place and will move in.

The Collards

This birdseed has started to grow!

Mr. Cardinal in the bath

On Monday the grandkids and their mom came up to visit us.  SO great getting to hug them and spend some time with them.  How they grow!  Nick is taller than Grampa by a little bit!  Wow!  And so handsome too.  And our little Mikayla is all grown up and just a beautiful girl.  She is learning to drive! Can hardly believe it.  Both love their school and are doing really well.  Nick plays football and of course loves that.  Time marches on!

Keep well .... stay warm and I hope you don't get the bug!   Or the flu!   

A quote for you:    "God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble a door of  Hope"

                                                                                                                 Catherine Marshall

I hope your New Year is going well!!  It seems I get too busy these days and in this warm, sunny place with so many great friends around me!  This is actually the first year I have been such a 'gad-about' while here in Fl.

We have a calendar just full of great things going on here in Sunshine Village this year. Not to mention all the "Ladies' Days Out" we've had!  All those great Thrift Shops to visit and the neat places we find to have lunch.  There are great crafts to learn, even a new oil painting technique class coming up on Friday which I signed up for.  Last week we made coiled baskets and are working on those lovely knit boa scarves now.  Next week there will be a class on ladder ribbon necklaces.

The Boa Scarf I just finished

  Potlucks, ice cream socials, bonfire night, water aerobics, Wii bowling, American Sign Language Class, and entertainment nights!  This Saturday night we are treated to an evening of gospel music by a great band called The Fruit Pickers from the Baptist Church in Bushnell where I attend services in the winter.  They are such a great lively group with their guitars, banjo, base violin, etc.  Can't miss this!

SO you see where I have been ........ a lot.  Dennis is still working here in the Park and loves it, work is his hobby!  Gotta get it fixed and running right.  Three park models were purchased by the Park and have been remodeled and readied for sale or rental already this year.  Now they are busy rebuilding the big work barn that houses all the equipment needed to keep the place looking good.  A 'break room' is being built there for the workers to enjoy coffee breaks and good fellowship before and after a day's work.  Dennis works closely with another carpenter, Charley, who is also a Vermonter.  Only four day work week, six hours a day...... supposedly...... but there is a lot to do so some time off becomes 'hobby time' for these two.  They both have been called work-a-holics !  We do still manage to get a couple evenings with four other friends to play our lively, competitive card game of Bid Euchre. Girls are doing great this year!

I just hope I don't have some sort of socialization withdrawal when I get back to the hills and quietness of home in VT !  It is a much slower pace there for sure.  I do still have my quiet time nearly every day but just don't seem to get to writing in the blog.  Try to do better!

I am saddened by the passing of a wonderful friend and classmate a couple weeks ago.  BUT she is surely enjoying her heavenly home, free from all the health trials that are so prevalent here on earth!  She surely believed God's Word and especially I John 5:13  "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God: that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."  Also, I hear of another dear friend who is going through a very hard time now.  It is really hard being so far away when these things happen and we really want to be there physically to just comfort and be comforted by friends and family. My friend Cyndy reminds us that we need to ' pray without ceasing' and we do need to 'rejoice always'. I Thessalonians 16-25.   We are promised that our fervent prayers for one another really are heard and can be of much help. James 5:16.   Of course it is always right and wonderful to be giving thanks in all things, always.

I am looking forward to a visit from our Grandkids next week and the arrival of cousin Natalie and Jerry from VT for their annual stay in FL.

Nick & Mikayla

So now I will go and make dinner, yeah I still call our noonday meal dinner just like my Grammie did. And we do have our big meal at noon as Den is home for that before finishing up his day.  Kinda nice, we don't have to get home early from the pool to make a big meal at night.  Then I am going to plant some radishes and see if we get to eat them before leaving for home.

The grand essentials of happiness are:

Something to Do

Something to Love

And Something to Hope for.

Take care, all and keep well and warm.  I do like your comments so be brave and tell me just what you think!!  So Long and I will try to write more often.  

Tis the Day Before Christmas

Christmas Blessing to You All!

It really is the day before Christmas!  Where has this month flown to!  Remember when we were kids, how we thought Christmas would NEVER come!

The gifts are wrapped and sent, the tree looks so pretty and everyone has their lights up.  We had some really cool nights this week...reminded me of being home in Vermont with the north wind whipping around every unsheltered corner.  Our evening stroll in coats and hats and even mittens became a brisk walk.  As we met others on their nightly strolls, we passed on by with a brief greeting, no lingering to visit this time. We did get our first frost that night. That was Friday,  today is a pleasant 68 degrees just after noontime.

Baking day for me.  I made some loaves of Grammie Richardson's Cranberry bread to give to my neighbors and friends tonight.  Then made 4 doz. dinner rolls to take to our Sunshine family dinner tomorrow. They just came out of the oven.... can't you just smell that fresh baked bread aroma?  Oh yes, you are probably enjoying that very same wonderful aroma in your kitchen today.   I will make the Raisin sauce in the morning.  We are having ham this year for dinner and we are used to having the raisin sauce with it.  Nobody here does that so guess it's up to me.  It does make a hit and usually there isn't much left.

Church yesterday was a real blessing.  The choir is so very good and the pastor's sermon was very moving and thought provoking.  He spoke of the meaning of Peace,  'The absence of conflict, strife and hostility'.   And the meaning of the word Shalom which is not just peace but is 'the presence of the goodness of God'. The presence of wholeness, health, harmony, completeness, contentment... basically...friendship with God.

He spoke of Malachi 4:2  where the prophet tells that the coming Messiah would have 'healing' in His wings.  The Greek word 'wings'  or Kanaf, meant the border of His garment.  We then fast-forwarded many years to Luke 8: 43-48 to the story of the woman who believed Jesus was the Messiah.  She battled the crowds just to be able to touch the "hem of His garment, the Kanaf" and she was immediately healed.  And how Jesus told her to "Go in peace.....Shalom". We were reminded that God wants to make us into the people we were originally created to be.  He has greater plans for us than we do for ourselves!

Tonight I will go to the candle lighting Christmas Eve service and maybe afterward to a gathering at Sunshine Hall.... or maybe just enjoy being home.  I am looking forward to a visit via Skype tomorrow with my family back home in Vermont.  I am so glad they can gather together at this precious time of the year.

Dennis and I and Lizzie too wish you all a very Blessed and Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year !

Remembering Christmases Past

How the time flies!  The wonderful Christmas season is here already.  For me, it is, at this time in my journey through this life, a good time to reflect on how blessed I have been to have had many wonderful Christmases with my family.
On this, a dark and dreary day in usually sunny and bright Florida, I sit with Miss Lizzie purring in my lap.  The Christmas tree lights are twinkling and a lovely CD sent to me by my sweet friend Debbie, is playing softly.  Tea in my favorite cup is hot and sweet and I am transported back to other Christmas seasons in my mind's very own 'Time Machine' .

Early memories are of the excitement of going out into the woods with my Daddy to get our Christmas tree.  He would explain the difference in the spruce and the balsam tree and how he favored the Balsam for it's fragrance.  We had to tramp around awhile looking for just the right one for us... in height, fullness etc.  Then he would get out his hatchet and cut it for us and we'd tie a rope onto it and drag it out to the car and tie it on to the roof. I well remember the old homemade tree stand too and how he'd fit the base of the tree into it.  We had multi colored lights sometimes but usually all blue ones. Our decorations were not fancy and always the same.. blue and white and silver.  The balls of various sizes and some stars of silver and blue that really caught the light and sparkled.  Always on the top was a shinny silver star. Lots of tinsel too, hung just right... no clumps!  But like rain, frozen in long thin icicles. And last some candy canes and we were finished.  It always seemed such a magical sight, all a-twinkle as soon as it grew dark and we shut off the other lights. I loved to lie on the sofa and 'watch' the tree and I was allowed to just fall asleep there enjoying it.

I don't have memories of receiving a tree full of presents.  But I do remember the ones I did get.  Once when I was about six I got a fine desk with a big drawer and a chair that fit me to go with it. In the  drawer I found pencils and colored ones, crayons and colored paper and all these fun things
My cousin and her husband would always remember me at Christmas.  Shirley loved to sew and knit and once I found a lovely, red coat neath the tree.  Another time, mittens like no one else at school had ever seen.  The backs of the hands had a face of a little girl knit into them and she had braids just like mine that swished back and forth when I waved my hands around.  Sometimes she knit me a pretty sweater with a picture pattern knit right into it.  Or the time I got an Orphan Annie watch.  Wow! That was the best!

Our tree today.  I have reverted to the old blue and white and silver I so loved as a child !

Years later, Christmas with our own children was always a special time.  Our tree was always hung with lots of homemade decorations and of course, the string of popcorn and cranberries that fed the birds after Christmas had passed.  We remember the special times at Church with our family.  We all loved the candle lighting and the carols. When the kids were teens, we loved to invite others to come and gather with us for a candle dipping party.  I once wrote of this in a poem.

Candle Dipping

It's late December now,

We're busy with preparations,

Our homes to decorate 

As Christmas we anticipate.

We've gathered boughs of evergreen,

Made garlands and wreaths, you know,

And now it is time for candle dipping

And wassail sipping.

So we gather.. friends and neighbors

And family dear.

The wax is melting in the big black

On back of the old wood stove.

As sweetly, carols play, a room away.

Our wicks are all tethered,

We're ready to go!

So round the chopping block we move

Till it's our turn to dip our wicks

Into the molten wax;

In and out, up and down, then skip along.

Round and round we go

As each completes the task.

Soon the candles take shape, begin to grow.

Smooth and round and even

They taper ever so gracefully!

What a sight to see!

All hanging there in rows of three

'Tween the tall, old chair backs

We're using as drying racks.

We won't forget these jolly times!

Our gathering together

By the fireside,

In from the frosty weather

At candle dipping time.

                                              Dottie Richardson  

This is how our candles looked soon after starting. Sorry I
don't have any pictures of our dipping parties.

Then came the Christmases with the grown children and the grandkids!  I have this picture of Grampa Denny and son Matt entertaining a whole string of them after Christmas dinner!

And now it is great grandchildren time!  Times are different... family is more scattered and we are here in Florida for the Christmas season these years.  BUT we do try to get all our family together in the summer time and cuddle the little ones then.  So get you a cup of tea, light the tree and turn on the CD and take a trip of your own back down memory lane and visit Christmases past!  

Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas season.  

Our Seasonal Tree
All decked out for Autumn

I am hoping you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and were able to spend some time with friends and family.  We had a lovely day here in Sunshine Village...the weather was nice and there was a nice big group of our snowbird friends attending the wonderful turkey and ham dinner at Sunrise Hall.  The table groaned with the bounty!  Lots of good cooks here and every household brought something to share.  We all were so grateful for not being hungry and some worked in church kitchens to help provide a nice meal for those not as fortunate as we are.

Up the highway a bit from us, in Leesburg, there is a homeless shelter that many volunteers are working on.  Work on the shelter has been done in stages. The south wing opened in 2010 and the north wing, which they are working on now, is expected to be finished soon.  It is a shelter for families and is called the Samaritan Inn. They have been blessed with gifts of money and volunteers from churches, civic groups, corporations and businesses.  Residents have to work on a case plan for their lives and are not charged a fee for their stay at the shelter.  They can save their money to get together their deposits for housing etc. The director said, "The whole idea is to give people a boost and a safe haven where they are cared for as they move on with their lives in a positive manner.  This is not a rest stop; this is a work station.  We just can't open the door and take reservations like a motel because everybody has to agree to work a case plan.  We want to help these folks move from dependence to independence and productivity.  Our goal is to have them ready to leave us with a job and a place to live." Since opening in June 2010, the Samaritan Inn has had 34 adults and 57 children.  Of those 60% have left with a job and a home. The shortest length of time someone stayed was 2 weeks and the longest resident has stayed for 18 months.  Each individual's needs are different. On the wish list for the Inn is funding for a ministry assistant and a Christian counselor.   What a wonderful concept !  Getting folks from dependence to independence.... a real 'leg up'  and onto the right path again.  Wish we could see more of this type of help.

Now is the time to be getting out the Christmas decorations.  Folks around here really go all out with the lights! We don't put up too many but every year we do get our BIG star out and hoist it up to the roof peak.  It is visible as soon as one comes into Sunshine Village.  We have had it for several years here.  We are closer to the entrance than we used to be and it still shows up high in the air.  Today I helped with some decorations for Sunshine Hall.  Dennis and some of the guys have built a stable and a manger for the nearly life-size holy family.  Someone found some hay, probably from the farm up the street, and now all the lights are arranged and tonight we will see how it looks.

We are planning our annual Cake Auction and a Quilt raffle to help finance "Christmas For Our Kids". Our way of helping to make a nice Christmas party for some local kids not so fortunate as most.  Every year it is a labor of love and we sure enjoy watching them at their party.

I am hoping our sign language class will soon start up again.  I have been practicing a bit and had a nice conversation or two with my friends Cy and Frank already.  The pool is open most days and is a great gathering place when the days are warm enough.  We have really cool mornings but usually it gets up into the 70's by noontime.  The pool is covered every night with the heater left on so the water stays really nice at about 83-85 degrees.

Her Highness ... Miss Lizzie

I think she likes it here!

Now Lizzie is making me think a nap might be in order.  Or at least an hour to curl up with a book.  Even the sun has gone in for a nap at 2 PM  and my work is all done.  Hubby still at work so I may just succumb to my yawning.  

A quote worth thinking about!

"We would worry less if we praised more.

Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent

            and dissatisfaction."              Henry A. Ironside

Being Thankful

Here it is almost Thanksgiving Day again.  Although shouldn't every day be a day of Thanksgiving?  We truly have so many things to be thankful for.  I once decided to make a list, an alphabetical list of all the things I was thankful for.  I ran across it the other day when looking through a folder of mine.  This was a great idea and I guess I need to do it again soon. Somewhere near the top of a thanksgiving list should be gratitude for our health.  And of course for our families and loved ones.

It has been cool here for a week with a couple days really dreary, just like November days in VT.  Then out comes the sun today and makes us all feel better.  Yesterday afternoon we met our VT friends in Leesburg and went up to The Villages to a car show.  The guys really liked that.  Also had a few shops with sidewalk sales for us girls to look at.  After an afternoon of wandering through the streets we had a nice supper at one of the restaurants there and headed back home.  It was a fun time.

Picked some oranges from our tree here.  Big and juicy Red Navels.  

Our annual fall Park wide yard sale went well on Saturday.  Several residents set up shop and sold things.  This year we didn't have enough to sell to set up.  We took a bag of things to the local youth center's Thrift Shop just before leaving for home last spring.  It was fun to wander around and see what was being offered.  I bought a couple books and a cookie jar shaped like a big red apple.  

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.  We are having dinner here at Sunshine Hall.  Looking forward to lots of tasty turkey and all the fixings and hopefully a piece of pumpkin pie.  

"We would worry less if we praised more.  Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction."    {Henry Ironside}

A Time To Work...A Time To Play

I hope you all haven't given up on my blog!!  I am finally setting down to write some thoughts here.  It has been a busy time getting settled, getting over a bad chest cold and finally coming out of hibernation to collect hugs and up close greetings from our other snowbird friends.  We have participated in some of the Sunshine Village activities.... a wonderful pot luck, as usual enjoying the creations of all the great cooks around here.  A couple of Sunday night Ice Cream Socials were fun too.  And not to mention the cleaning of the Florida room..... especially ALL it's windows.  We have seven large screened areas here each has four window panels that are easily removed for cleaning that is 7 X 4 .........28 window sections to take out and wash inside and out as well as the inside and outside of the screens.  Not too grievous a job but time consuming.  I use an old fashioned window washing formula ... vinegar and hot water and soft, lint free rags to do the job.  The windows are not glass but a strong vinyl.  How they shine when freshly cleaned and buffed with the soft dry cloth!!  I am sitting here now listening to my fountain tinkle and glancing out these squeaky clean windows ! NOTHING like clean windows !  Now I have the rest of the house windows to tackle but that is another job for another day.

Back to the writing again after a ride around the Village in the golf cart.  Saw some WV friends come in and had to go say "Hi".  Then those dirty windows were fairly shouting at me so, while I had my helper home (day off) we tackled three more.  Then I finished writing the Sunshine Village Newsletter for Nov.  Kinda late but better late than never. Now it's time to start planning for the Dec. one !

Our sweet white kitty, Miss Lizzie, is enjoying her home away from home.  She has settled in so well here, enjoying the porch and finding her new favorite spots to hang out.  She still gets a bit nervous when she sees us with anything that resembles a suitcase.  Den brought my sewing machine in it's case out to the kitchen the other day and she thought we were getting ready to pack up and be off again.  She gave us a concerned look, kind of threatening like, and turned tail and went to hide someplace.  She surely isn't a seasoned traveler yet. 

                                                                         

My 'Hairy ones' taking a break.

Yesterday was our 'go to town' day and by town, I mean off to Leesburg which is about 20 miles away.  Some things you can't get in Bushnell, the small town just 8 miles from us.  We ran errands all morning as we had a few projects to get supplies for.  Planting a few more perennials was one of our projects so Lowe's seems to be the best place to get nice plants.  On the northern most side of the car port we have a nice white lattice work/trellis that now has a lovely yellow Esperanza plant growing up its sturdy support.  The hibiscus was blooming the other morning after a gentle rain but the Camellia in the front seems to have bit the dust.  We bought some lovely purple plants that they promised would withstand some frost and planted them there.  Our grass, out back and planted before we left last spring, has come up and grown quite well.  A few oranges hang on the orange tree and the little lemon tree we planted last year seems to be holding it's own. Also planted a couple small heather plants.

A close-up of a Hibiscus just after a gentle rain the other day.  This is just outside my porch window.

The Esperanza 

It seems SO nice not to be hearing and seeing all the election ads and slander !  We honestly don't know what to believe.  Only time will tell I guess, how the people's choice will help or hinder our country.  This much we know ..... GOD himself is in control and knows how it will all play out.  My prayer is that we who are called by His name will humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways and that He will then hear us and heal our troubled land.

Tomorrow our dear friends from Ohio are arriving!   Looking forward to seeing them again.  We have a great time playing Bid Euchre, a great card game with them a couple evenings a week.  These evenings are long with darkness falling so early.Also we will be planning for our Ladies day out trips which are always fun.

Quote for this time:   "Kindness don't have no boundaries."  Kathryn Stockett who wrote, "The Help"