December 26, 2025 - Friday
Had a nice workout in the pool. We went to the Elks for lunch and the usual crew was there. Carol is a full blooded Italian who moved here from Long Island. The first time we went to the Elks, she was playing a video game and ended up cashing in $700! It was like nothing to her. Turns out she is there every day at noon to have a drink, maybe lunch, and gamble. Today she was playing Nevada Gold where you get small cards that you peel back to see what matches. You can get a bucket to put the losers in - she filled several buckets. She peels 20, gets up to get 20 more, sets aside any $5 winners, and keeps it going until she gets enough to cash in ($200 - then gets up and goes back to the machine trying for the $500 ticket. She proclaimed that if she got it, she would buy drinks for the bar. And she did just that. There were only 6 of us there when she hit, which she was happy about. She’s a hoot with her Long Island accent and her a plethora of stories she tells with great enthusiasm. Congratulations again to Carol!
Tom is to her right - he is a snow bird from Lancaster, PA. He was a biology teacher who met his wife in grad school - she was a Home Economics teacher. He tells how he married a hooker! Who keeps going to classes to become a better hooker! As it turns out she hooks rugs, but he had us going for a while.
Started our new jigsaw puzzle on a tray I got for the ottoman. I like this because we can take it out on the lanai to work on.
December 27, 2025 - Saturday
Rough night - didn’t sleep well, so I shortened my walk to a mile. Time to restock the kitchen at Publix, so did an early morning trip there.
My Ring doorbell tells me we got enough snow back home to plow.
We had to move the jigsaw puzzle inside to the kitchen hightop - it was slightly bigger than the tray I wanted to build it on.
December 28, 2025 - Sunday
A quick trip to Costco to drop a wad $ for essentials. Followed by a walk around the loop before indulging in some goodies. We both promise, we are going to be good after the holiday season - as we do every year.
Several hours were spent working on the jigsaw puzzle. Between this and the drawings Rich is doing, he is bent over a table all the time.
December 29, 2025 - Monday
When I got up at 7am, Rich had already made a lot of progress on the puzzle. So I sat down and did my part until I had to change into my bathing suit. It was 60 degrees which is the cut off temp. A nearly full class showed up. It’s supposed to be 60’s and low 70’s this week, so we’ll see how it goes. No line dancing today.
Jacob played his first basketball game of the season. He was injured the first home game of football season on September 26, 2025 (three months and three days ago), but he said his knee felt good. It is his decision.
December 30, 2025 - Tuesday. HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY, ZACHARY MICHAEL ❤️
When I asked him how it felt to be 14, he answered, “I can’t really answer that since it isn’t the hour I was born yet.” Gotta love it! ❤️ He is relying on the monthly journal I have been doing since his birth (all of the grandkids). When they turned ten years old, I gave them a printed copy of the document - very glad that he still has it and actually read it. The documentation is still happening once a month - a little less detail as they get older, but every “first” word, step, tooth, congratulations, graduation, et al has been recorded.
Brrrrr! It was 53 degrees with wind blowing when I walked today. But I did it. We are fast approaching the day to be healthier eaters, but I haven’t given up on daily exercise. Can’t afford to…
My daughter was listed in the local newspaper as one of the top 10 stories that made you smile! She had a fund raiser for her school’s comfort dog.Maci! It was a huge success - lower right corner…
I got busy taking care of business. It’s amazing how much can be done on Facebook. I added an activity suggestion of a jam session on the Stoneybrook page. AND I posted a RENTAL AVAILABLE for renting the condo this summer. Fingers crossed…🤞
December 31, 2025 - Wednesday
Another day of low 50’s - we even turned the heat on today for the first time. I bundled up and went for my walk which was actually refreshing.
Somebody is cold… Imagine how he’d feel if we were up north!
Rich cooked the rib roast just the way we like it - got it at Costco’s and it was delicious! The end of an abundant year of food and drink. Starting our annual "get healthy and stay that way” kick. In other words - lose weight.
January 1, 2026 - Thursday HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026! 🎉🥳🎊🍾
Weighed in to keep us honest. We both have work to do. In spite of the low temperature again today, I bundled up and walked. Then I began my end-of-year paperwork just for the heck of it. There’s something exciting about a fresh start on the things that you want to accomplish in life. In reality, it’s just another day, but somehow I get motivated and treat it like a blank page to build upon…
