Back when we lived in Florida, my husband and I took up kayaking.  We were camping at a state park one weekend and wandered into the local tackle shop for some fishing supplies. The place had an outdoor warehouse full of kayaks and they were beautiful!  We spent ten minutes on the tackle and two hours looking at boats.  There were singles and tandems, sit upons and sit ins, long and short, fat and thin, blue, green, red, orange and multicolored.  We hadn’t even sat in one yet and we were hooked.  I wanted a blue one bad!!!  Within a week we were outfitted, schooled in proper paddling and on the water right off our own dock.

Fast forward to Tennessee.  I seemed to have more work and less time.  The season was shorter.  The dock was in the next town.  I felt I would never get back in my little blue boat.  I even had a thought about selling it to someone who would give it a better life.  Then I retired; and after a year of traveling to every relative we could think of, I have more time to use when the season is shorter and the dock is farther.  Last Sunday we packed a lunch, threw the gear in the pickup and headed to the launch.  Not selling it now!!

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT? From picking at my chicken pox
2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR BEDROOM? Paintings and photographs of flowers
3. WHAT DOES YOUR MOBILE PHONE LOOK LIKE? Pink with lots of icons
4. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? Country and classic
5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN? No, but I could look it up in my baby book
6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW? A salty snack
7. WHO DO YOU MISS? My mother – but I’ll see her this fall
8. IS ANYONE IN LOVE WITH YOU OR HAS A CRUSH ON YOU? My husband is crazy about me
9. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU KISSED? My husband
10. WHAT’S YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Diane
11. THE BEST TV SHOW EVER CREATED? Hill Street Blues
12. THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO? My husband
13. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK? Only if there is a mirror
14. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY? My husband – in a very good way
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOGNE / PERFUME? Opium
16. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOUR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX? Brown/blue
17. WOULD YOU RATHER BE SMART OR FUNNY? Smart
18. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINKS? Coffee
19. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PIZZA TOPPING? Spinach
20. IF YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Rare steak with salt and pepper
21. WHO IS THE LAST PERSON WHO MADE YOU MAD? Someone I was trying to help
22. DO YOU SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE? I’d like to say French, but no
23. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT SOMEONE EVER GAVE YOU? I got a water whistle from my first grade boyfriend
24. DO YOU LIKE SOMEONE?  I like my husband
    
25. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED? No
26. FAVOURITE CLOTHING BRAND? St John’s Bay
27. WHAT’S YOUR DREAM CAR? Mitsubishi Eclipse
28. WHAT COLOUR IS IT? Red
29. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE KIND OF EXERCISE? Housework
30. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING? Yes
31. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU? Food
32. WRITE A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED? 44
33. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES? Brunettes
34. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL OFTEN? My husband
35. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST? People who say cruel things
36. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF YOUR COUNTRY? WHERE DID YOU GO? WHAT PLACE DID YOU LIKE BEST? Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.  My favorite is Montreal.
37. YOUR WEAKNESSES? Chocolate and sleeping in
38. FRIES/CHIPS, RICE, OR BEANS? Fries
39. FIRST JOB? Car hop at the root beer stand
40. EVER PRANK CALLED SOMEONE? Yes
41. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED OUT THIS? Playing Gardens of Time
42. IF YOU COULD GET PLASTIC SURGERY WHAT WOULD IT BE? Breast reduction
43. WHY DID YOU FILL OUT THIS MEME? I love memes
44. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST? My upbeat outlook on life
45. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ALCOHOL BECAME ILLEGAL? Not a problem for me
46. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY? Steak and fries at Chez Marvin and a hot, steamy nap
47. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT? I have two of my own and four of Marvin’s.  That’s good for me.
48. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? A character in a book my mother was reading.
49. DO YOU WISH ON STARS? No
50. WHICH FINGER[S] IS YOUR FAVOURITE? Middle
51. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Chocolate cupcake
52. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Love it!
53. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT? Rare roast beef
54. ANY BAD HABITS? Yes
55. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING CD ON THE SHELF? The Christmas Chipmunks :)
56. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes
57. HAVE YOU EVER TOLD A SECRET YOU SWORE NOT TO TELL? No
58. DO LOOKS MATTER? Not to me
59. YOU RELEASE YOUR ANGER? I have a good support system that listens to me vent.
60. WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME? We have a camper
61. DO YOU TRUST OTHERS EASILY? I like to observe first
62. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE TOY AS A CHILD? I had my own radio so I could listen to kids shows on Saturday morning while my parents were sleeping in
63. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR MOBILE PHONE? 250
64. DO YOU USE SARCASM? I state the obvious
65. DO YOU KNOW ANYONE FAMOUS? A writer.
66. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MOSH PIT? No
67. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A PLACE TO LIVE?  Comfort, a view of nature and 2 bathrooms
68. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES? Cecil
69. HOW MANY HATS DO YOU OWN? WHAT’S YOUR HAT SIZE? Half a dozen, small
70. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I have no shoes that tie.  That’s how much I hate to tie shoes.
71. WERE YOU UPSET ABOUT STEVE IRWIN DYING? I felt sorry for his family
72. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Ben and Jerry’s Everything but the Kitchen Sink
73. ARE YOU LAZY? Yes
74. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE SONGS AT THE MOMENT? Kodachrome, Graceland, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
75. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE BAND? The Beatles
76. HOW MANY WISDOM TEETH DO YOU HAVE? None
77. DO YOU WANT TO GO ANYWHERE SPECIAL THIS YEAR? New York City!
78. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Craig Ferguson
79. LAST THING YOU ATE? Chocolate cupcake
80. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mother
81. WHATS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT YOURSELF IN THE MORNING? I feel happy to be waking up where I am
82. FAVOURITE THOUGHT PROVOKING SONG? Times They are a Changing
83. FAVOURITE TWO THINGS TO HATE? Mean spirited people and sour milk
84. FAVOURITE DRINK? Coca Cola
85. FAVOURITE ZODIAC SIGN? Sagittarius
86. SPORTS YOU LIKE TO WATCH? NASCAR – yes, I am a red neck
87. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOUR? Gray
88. EYE COLOUR? Hazel
89. DO YOU WEAR GLASSES? Yes
90. SIBLINGS? 1 sister, 3 brothers
91. FAVOURITE MONTH(s)? May – it’s spring on steroids in Tennessee
92. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI? No, I do not
93. LAST THING YOU WATCHED? Craig Ferguson
94. FAVOURITE DAY OF THE YEAR? Fourth of July – illegal fireworks and Boston Pops!
95. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT? No
96. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer
97. KISSES OR HUGS? Kisses because it’s almost impossible to kiss without touching
98. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE-NIGHT STANDS? Relationships
99. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE CELEBRITY? Johnnie Depp
100. WHO IS THE LEAST LIKELY TO ASK YOU ON A DATE? Jocks
101. BOOKS YOU’D LIKE TO SEE TURNED INTO A FILM? The Silver Sword

We’ve been concerned all along that there was rot in the doorway between the kitchen and living room because not only was the floor lumpy, the longer we lived there the springier it got.  The fact that the guy who had tried to “redo” the place to sell it had put down linoleum the thickness of tissue paper (it ripped in 3 places when we moved in) and had actually used nails we could see around the edges was something we were just ignoring altogether.  We also had an odd musty smell in the corner by the sink I thought might be floor related.

Last week Marvin finally pulled up the linoleum to see what lurked beneath.  (One of the hardest parts was pulling up all the nails.)  The musty smell was dry rot but the lumpy part was fine.  It just needed a little more bracing in the cellar.  After pulling the trim, repairing two water damaged areas, caulking the floor cracks and wrestling with the appliances, he laid the new floor.  It is beautiful!!  Here’s a little slide show to show off his great work:

In an accident I wouldn’t believe if I hadn’t experienced it, I have a black eye today and am very grateful that’s all it is.  We had lovely leftover pasta for supper last night.  Our dog Lee Ann could not wait to lick the sauce off the plates after we finished.  As I walked to put the plates on the floor by the stove, one of my flip flops caught on the throw rug and the other flip flop shifted me sideways on the linoleum.  I tried to take a step to get my footing back but Lee Ann was right in front of me.  I ended up taking a dive over her with two plates still in my hands.  When I came down on the floor my stomach landed on one of the dinner plates.  I sailed across the kitchen floor on the plate until the left side of my head slammed up against one of the laundry room doors and took it off its hinges.   I got the black eye because I had my glasses on when I hit the door.  The glasses pressed into my face before they flew off and landed under the table.

Marvin came running into the kitchen and yelled at me not to move.  He was very afraid I had broken something or hurt my neck when I slammed into the door.   After lying there a couple minutes to make sure I wasn’t dead, I slowly got up and was delighted to find everything still worked!  I had red sauce all over the front of my jeans from where I had sailed across the kitchen on the dinner plate and there was sauce on the door I knocked off its hinges but I was OK!  My glasses on the other hand will need to go to the eye doctor’s tomorrow for repositioning.

It’s our new skinny tree and it fits perfectly between the door and the bookcase.  We got it on a terrific after Christmas 70% off sale two years ago (don’t you just love a great sale?) and it’s been up since before Thanksgiving!! Last year we only put up a ceramic table tree because we were going to be out of town, but I missed those lights and garland.   This year I went up in the attic to get extra toilet paper for our Thanksgiving guests, the Internet famous Poppy and Dawg, and the tree box was sitting there right next to the bale of Costco tp.  I thought, “why not bring it down now so I can see what it looks like”.  The tree was so cute I just left up until we had a chance to decorate it.  Lee Ann likes it too.  She has taken to spreading her dog toys under it.

This is my second try and they were SOOO good!!

Next time fruit empanadas for dessert.

Lee Ann wrapped Dawg around her little paw SO fast.

Happy Birthday Marvin.  I love you with all my heart!!

Parke Kent – Army Air Force WWII

Thank you So much Dad for defending our freedom.