Picked up outlet covers and breaker box covers in Lowes. Went to the greenhouse and started complying with the fire code. When it warmed up a little I put the 6 inch numbers on the building facing the road. Chopped 3 feet off the house 2 bench then used the space to roll the fanjet into. Next I slid the fanjet from the heater space to under the bench in the middle of house 2. Libbie and I propped up table legs with bricks to raise the bench a little. This was back breaking work. Dinner was stuffed flounder and broccoli.
Affter dinner I ran out to Lowes and got a 10 foot l ong 1/2inch galvanized pipe for the heater project.

I skipped the groceries this morning and went straight to unhooking the house 3 Fanjet. While lowering it the Fire inspector showed up. We have a number of issues to deal with including outlet covers and extension cords. She spent several hours there taking up my time. Next was the TAVS meeting and luncheon. It was a lot of fun. I sold 10 patches to the TAVS group bringing the patch total to 30 now. I spent 160 for them. We sold 20 at 5.50 = $110. eBay, paypal and postage cost $20 netting $110-$20 = $90. TAVS payed $35, making the grand total $125. Dinner tonight was out to dinner at La Cocina because we were tired.

I did some convention work this morning fulfilling patch orders and answering questions. I agreed to write two articles for Marjorie. Went to the greenhouse and finished the ground and labeling of the new Modine Hot Dawg outlet. Hooked up the come along in house 3 to lower the fanjet but did not unbolt it from the wall. Will do that tomorrow. Later I returned to the greenhouse with Libbie because I forgot to turn the Hot Dawg breaker back on after working on the outlet. The heat had not turned on yet. It's supposed to be warmer tonight anyway. After a dinner of Curry chicken Libbie and I went to Trader Joe's and picked up some chocolate chip cookie dough. We tried baking 6 of them as a sample. They were yummy. My application for the Schwab One account was returned for insufficient postage. What a bummer since I was counting on this money link to help pay the Visa bill by doing a brokerage to credit card transfer. Libbie said the AP Circuits card arrived. This is for the microwave controller which had the LCD controller mirror imaged.

After reading the newspaper I went to Lowes for conduit and then to Office Max to get a wireless mouse for Libbie's computer. Ran the new power line to house 2 where the new Hot Dawg will go. This was a struggle pulling wire through the conduit until Libbie came back to help. It still was hard. Spent the rest of the afternoon tacking down the conduit across the two houses and wiring up the new outlet. While I w as finishing up, Bertha came on. The Hot Dawg was powered down so the controller put the greenhouse in fail safe mode. This was a good test of fail safe although it was unintentional. Dinner was Libbie's great pizza as usual.

Stayed home this morning doing computer work on the one wire Mars. Can't get it to read temperatures. Left at 11:30 to go to the 1 PM Rosenkavalier performance. Boy is it cold outside!!! We had to stand in the cold until they opened the theater doors. The performance was spectacular. The blending of female voices, especially when those voices are Rene Fleming and Susan Graham, is so spiritual and beautiful. Instead of dinner at home we went over to La Cocina because we didn't get out till 6 PM. We stopped by Trader Joe's and picked up wine for dinner but then decided to not eat at home since it was so late. We had Frozen Margaritas and Quesadillas, our usual dinner there.

We decided to order the heater for house 2. A 100,000 BTU Hot Dawg is on order. Marie said it's in stock in VA and should be here in a week or two. I went to Home Depot for gas pipe parts after doing ome measurements at the greenhouse. For dinner we went to Lucky 32 for Creole Eggplant. It's a carnivale menu. We had a glass of Australian Shiraz with the meal which I didn't care for. Overall it was a nice evening. I used the online Open Table web site to make reservations and it worked. They took us at 7:15 PM which was on time. After dinner we went to Walmart and bought a Min-Max thermometer. We took the battery out of the greenhouse clock to power it. Walmart wanted $6 for a battery pack so we didn't get one. I have batteries at home to replace the clock battery.

I went to the greenhouse this morning and reprogrammed the LOGE controller. Afterwards I replaced the faucet handles on the bathroom sink. The cold water faucet broke in half. The byonics TT4 came this afternoon. I started by installing the firmware and now need to make a cable. Dinner was tortellini pasta.

I worked on the LOGE controller today. Got the program finished but didn't want to try it since we wouldn't be home tonight. We left at 5:30 for Hoffman after a bowl of Libbie's chili. We bought a giant tub of popcorn and also had some hot chocolate and coffee. Hoffman was great except they gave us passes when the 3rd act couldn't be shown. Now we need to figure out what to use the passes for. Got home around 10 PM. I really liked Kate Lindsey, the muse. I had a dream about her during the night.

I did the grocery run this morning. Found the other Loge controller and tried programming it with success. I'll hook the laptop to it and try programming it to verify the tool chain for when I take it to the greenhouse. In the PM we drove to Fuquay and got our H1N1 shots. It was easy and well organized. Came home and worked on programming a little more. Bought some RGNC today in the individual account. This is a tax advantaged MLP. I really need more of these in the individual account. Dinner was chili made from the ingredients I purchased in Kroger this morning.

This is catchup day. I paid some bills, balanced stock accounts and studied portfolios. Went over to the greenhouse to look at the heaters with the hot dog hooked to the house 2 heater. We decided that a second hot dog will be appropriate for house 2. It will blow under the bench just like house 1. Control is yet to be determined but I'm thinking that it will come on with one of the house 1 heaters. House 2 overhead will be on the second stage. Dinner was Briyani.

We got up at 4 AM and were on the road by 4:50. It was 41 degrees out which was very cold. Early in the drive there was no traffic. We stopped at McDonalds at exit 271 in Ormond Beach for gas and McDonalds. I got a sausage and egg muffin and had coffee from my thermos. Gas at racewy across the street was 2.74. Our next stop was in Manning, SC about 40 miles South of Florence. We ate at the Taco Bell there and paid 2.48 per gallon. I had a soft taco. Traffic was stopped just North of Fayetteville, NC and was stop and go all the way to I-40. We stopped by Trader Joes to get some pizza then went to Bluebird to check it out. All looked well. The pilot in house 4 was out. I re-lit it but the burner is outside the box. Will deal with it tomorrow. Instead I hooked up house 3 heater to the thermostat for overnight. I'm not sure if the hot dawg is coming on. We got home around 4:50 and unloaded the car into a cold 62 degree house. Brrr. More of the same tonight.

We decided to leave tomorrow so are doing a mad scramble to clean the place. I setup Scooby to run in the kitchen while we go to the clubhouse for lunch. I had a BLT with fruit. Libbie had an angus burger with sweet potato fries. Went to Yoders to get the box of honeybelles we ordered. In the evening we stopped over at Peter and Christa's to say goodbye and thank them for a nice time Friday night. We had to run to Publix late to get toilet bowl cleaner and also a container of cut fruit for the trip.

We woke to thunder and lightning. I decided the freezer water line was frozen so turned the freezer off and tried it. I was correct!!! Now to put it back together requires special star washers that I don't have. We watched the Rose parade until it was over at 1 PM then went to the club house for the golfers buffet. No golfers came since it was a rainy day but we saw the blond from last night with her 2 kids this morning. I had a soup, sandwich and salad plus cookie for desert. We went to Home Depot afterwards to look for star washers for the water line but no luck.

Today I decided to tackle the refrigerator water lines. Took the whole thing apart but decided it may really be a frozen line in the door! Went to Ace Hardware for wire to unclog the waterline and also purchased a new cork screw to replace the plastic one which is broken. I also picked up some appliance epoxy spray paint. Did not get the line working before we had to get dressed to go to the party which started at 7. Peter and Christa invited us to their table which made it 8. We sat with Tony and Sigi from Germany and Heinen and Hoursey from Canada. We had nice horsedouevers, lobster and steak and an unbelievable chocolate cake for desert. I think we had 4 glasses of wine but I lost count. The bill without the bar tab was 190. My entertainment for the evening was a young blonde with a black shimmery form fitting mermaid gown. She couldn't move too much without having to hold the top up because it kept slipping. We kissed at midnight, said Happy new Year to everybody and left after a final dance at around 12:20. Just before leaving we chatted with a couple from Charleston we met at pub night. They have year old triplet grandchildren. The loser of the night was a guy in plaid with his wife in culottes. Christa was not happy with his sloppy dress.

Today was recovery day from Disney world. We didn't do much. We went out to find Orchidmania East of Bradenton and enjoyed the orchid place. Bought two phals with many stems. Kathy, the owner, wants to sell the place. She said she had an offer of 1.4 M$ several years back. 10 acres of land, a small house and 6 greenhouses with 15,000 square feet. The business seems to be mostly walk in retail. The warehouse was something to appreciate. It was a steel beamed building with concrete floor and restrooms. Next stop was the hydroponic farm. The owner designed some kind of stacking container which accepts liquid nutrients at the top and drains it down through all 5 layers. One quart of liquid 3 times a day is taken by each plant and only one tablespoon out the bottom. I photographed the farmers daughter and took lots of pics of all the veggies growing. We don't know who the market is but it seems to be a large u-pick operation. I really enjoyed the whole operation. Went over to pub night at 6:30 and the place was jammed. Where did all the people come from?

We got up early and left at 6:50 for Disney. It was a frosty 46 when we left. There was clear sailing all the way to the front gate. As we were paying the $14 fee Jennifer called that she smelled propane. We called the propane company to investigate. We wlaked up Main st and saw a High school marching band then wandered over to the Pirates. Talked to Jennifer again after the Pirates of the Caribbean. No trouble found and at least we were re-assured but the service call cost $95. We went to Small World but found the wait was 90 minutes. Picked up some hot cocoa from a 75 year old lady and walked towards the castle where we saw a bride to be. Took a picture of her and then the lights on the castle. We'll come back after dark to see them lit. Made it over to Tomorrowland and enjoyed a talking moving robotic garbage can. We learned the Carousel of Progress was still there and there was no line so we walked in and enjoyed the nostalgia. This attraction is 46 years old, first debut was the NY Worlds Fair!
Walked towards Main St and got caught in a crowd watching the Christmas parade. Enjoyed it and made our way down the street to the exit. Took a monorail to the Polynesian where we had lunch at Kona's. It was enjoyable. I had grilled chicken with Mango mayonnaise and crisp onions. Libbie had the coconut curry soup. After lunch we took the monorail to the next stop which was the Grand Floridian. This grand hotel had a walk in gingerbread house and a huge atrium tree. Went outside where they were serving roasted chestnuts and hot spiced cider. Yummy. Got on another monorail and changed trains at the ticketing center for an Epcot bound monorail. Epcot was very crowded. We got an express pass at the Land and then enjoyed a nostalig ride through the Carousel of Progress which was updated for 2009. The land was spectacular as usual. I photographed lots of the hydroponics exhibits. We then went up to China and watched the reflcetions surround movie of scenes from China. After a bathroom stop it was time for the bus to the Hollywood studios. We had dinner reservations at Mama Melroses which we ate dinner at after seeing the nearby Osbourne Family christmas lights. The lights were over the top. They were originally 2.3 million but now are at 5 million and are coordinated with music. Dinner was excellent - I had sausage over rigatoni and cheesecake for desert. We had a glass of Copolla Shiraz with dinner. After dinner we wairted for a bus back to the ticketing center where we took a monorail to the Magic kingdom again. We were able to see the fireworks from Main St in front of the castle then went to the back of the park to find Small World. There was no line at Small World. We enjoyed it very much then had hot chocolate since it was so cold. On the way out we took a seat on the side near the train station we drank our chocolate and watched an electric light parade before boarding a freezing ferry ride back to the parking lot. Dragged ourselves back into our car in Daisy row 28 at midnight and started the 2 hour drive back to Sarasota. We got back at 1:30 which was a half hour quicker.
What I would take away from our day in the parks. Strollers and people everywhere with long lines for everything. Our strategy of escaping to the Polynesian for dinner was excellent. The snow and xmas lights in Hollywood were a treat. Never before have I seen so many lights so well coordinated. The park employees were above all else. We saw a dancing street sweeper, a singing baton waving traffic director and generally happy "cast members". The ages of the help were also unbelievable from the 80 year old serving chestnuts to the 75 year old lady serving hot cocoa and generally gray hair cast members everywhere.

We slept late this morning then got up for breakfast and GMA. I hooked my laptop up for the first time since we got here. We then took a walk out to the natural area in front. It's a spectacularly beautiful day with crystal clear skies and pleasant temperatures. We may go to Disney tomorrow instead of Wednesday. We went to the Audobon Rookery in Venice this afternoon but there was not any activity. We saw 3 Herons sitting on nests. Picked up some gas at 2.61 at a Mobil station then took a long drive on Casey Key going North. We were amazed at the huge McMansions on the Gulf. We got to the clubhouse at 3:15 and found they stopped serving lunch at 3:15. For lunch instead we then went to Ryans where I had a Cuban. We next went to the Mall next door and picked up 2 belts in Penneys and ordered fruit in Yoders fruit store in front. For dinner we had soup and crackers and cheese during the sunset.

This morning I got the paper and was happily reading it until Libbie discovered that a paint can in the linen closet had exploded and leaked paint all over the floor. I threw all the old paint cans away covered with paint they were sitting in. Used a whole roll of paper towels to sop up paint that ran into the hallway. I will let the rest dry before attempting to clean it up. We then left for Selby and walked the garden. They were all set up for Christmas Lights which I took many pictures of. The forms were pretty cool. We came back to the club and had lunch. It was sports sunday and there were a few tables of morons in their team colors cheering ballgames. I wonder why this stuff is so exciting. I certainly don't get it. There was a spectacular sunset which we toasted with wine and cheese. We finished the evening by turning on WCPE and reading.

I had to go to Publix this morning for coffee because I forgot the can of Krogers. We got cleasned up and straightened up the house. Lorraine, Ted, Tom and Ann arrived around 2. We watched the Musnicki DVD segment of Doris's communion then went to the clubhouse for lunch. It was our treat and very nice. I had the Angus burger and fruit. Libbie had some nice sweet potato fries. After Tommy left, Lorraine and us went back to the condo and chatted a little about Ted's retirement and our families. We went to Publix afterward and got cheese, crackers, wine and soup for our pantry. Dinner was chicken pot pie soup. I have gotten into reading my Sandra Brown book, Mirror Image.

We got up at the usual time and had breakfast. All the restaurants are closed today so we need to bring any food with us. Hit the road by 6:50 AM. The roads were surprisingly dry. I-40 was crowded but once we got on I-95 it was light. We didn't hit rain until Florence. I stopped at Florence and topped off for 2.35. The rain then got heavier and pretty bad as we headed South. I was expecting us to leave the rain at Savannah and we did. The sun actually came out before it began raining again. OPur next gas stop was in St MAry at GA exit 3 where I got gas for 2.45. Not a great deal but Libbie had to pee. We continued on our way in the rain. We saw a few SUV turnovers with the only traffic slowdown in Orlando near the downtown area. We saw a truck with a flat tire and a little further there was another turnover on the exit ramp. When we got off the highway on Clark Rd we stopped at a 7-11 and picked up some Chardonnay to toast the sunset which was going on. We were finally south of the storm. Arrived at the condo at around 6 PM as the sun was setting. Mark next door seemed to have several family members renting the unit on the other side of them and they were preparing a Christmas ham dinner. In the evening I set up the scooba and had it wash the kitchen floor. It did the job but I expected it to be cleaner. Dinner was frozen chicken gargonzola dinner from Trader Joes and organic veggies, all of which we brought in the ice chest in the car.

We took a walk in the back today to look at the Oak tree which was cut up and moved to the street. In he morning we had a Christmas gift of the Wii Fit plus which we later played. The new games are interesting. Dinner was cooked shrimp in the shell and veggies. Lorraine called today saying she got our card amd would come to Sarasota for lunch on Dec 26 with Tommy and Ann. We saw the weather was going to be rainy on our drive. Packed our suitcases and got the car ready for the morning trip.

After GMA I went over to the greenhouse to see how the heater was doing. It still was stinky in there. I looked at the exhaust and noticed it was tilted. I went home to change clothes and also to do groceries. Had to take a bad dump as well so it was good to go home. After groceries I went to the greenhouse and raised the flue which was leaning downwards. This broke the supports off the chimney outside. After calling around for a new flue which is 7 inches in diameter, I decided to rebuild the old one. NB Handy which is out Poole Rd has the 7 inch in 26 gauge which is the heavier flue pipes. I took the burner down and cleaned the rust off it and also inspected the heat exchanger with a flashlight. Used some electric fence wire to support the flue so that it rises. I also took apart the flue to see if there was anything blocking it but it was clear. Tested it and then went home for lunch. Picked up some big washers at Ace and repaired the flue then went to the greenhouse and installed it. I also ran the generator for 5 minutes. I also verified that the greenhouse smelled OK. Left the furnace set for Big Bertha to come on tonight. After a dinner of Currey chicken over noodles we went back out at 7:30 PM. All was well with the heater. There were no fumes. We went around and lloked at Christmas lights afterward. The winner was the one on Penny Road. He has added a snow machine this year. We enjoyed the lights in downtown Apex and also behind the post office where there was a ob scene and actually a line waiting to see "Santa".

Today didn't work like it was supposed to. Libbie called that the big heater in House 1 was not working. I did a lot of diagnosis taking things apart before I found out that the vent block switch on top of the heater tripped. I think it was affected by water dripping on it while it was hot. It tripped at a false temperature. It requires a manual reset so the heater was dead. I forced the Hot Dog to come on and take over with a jumper wire. I guess I need an emergency override. The system is built to switch the control out and use the big heater but not the other way around. In the meantime we smelled bad exhaust in house 4. The flame was rolling outside the box. I ended up cleaning a mud dabber out of 4 of the orifices on the burner to stop this and restore the flame to normal. While there I also replaced a section of bench top under heater 2 which was destroyed by crawling around on top of the bench. Dinner was pasta. I didn't paint in the foyer but I did sand the spackle job from yesterday and second coat a few areas with spackle.

We slept late today. After reading the newspaper we tackled the foyer. Got everything ready then went to Lowes to get ceiling paint. We did this because we wanted to mail the batch of Christmas Cards at the Post Office. The mailboxes were full. I carried the letters inside. I painted the ceiling in the foyer. It ended up getting damaged since I made a second pass on wet popcorn ceiling which took some of the popcorn off. I also sanded and spackled the walls. Libbie made her usual yummy pizza which we ate during 60 minutes. This was a very tiring day.

It was a wet night but it stayed above freezing. Anne Nicholas called about the snow and things. We had clear sailing to Hoffman today at North Hills. Waited in line with Jim at the theater. The shopping center was pretty busy and beautifully decorated for Christmas. We left home at 11:45 and stood in line for auditorium 8, the one on the right. The production was spectacular. It was clearly the best Hoffman I have seen. Standouts were Olympia the doll played by a little Korean girl and the Muse played by Kate Lindsey. I looked her up when I got home. she's well on her way to being a superstar. We stopped at Trader Joes on the way home and got wine for dinner along with Pasta for next week and almonds. Libbie got tons of boxes. Afterwards I enjoyed reading the reviews of people attending the HD version around the country. Good stuff. I hooked up Hoffman in my MP3 player which I downloaded yesterday. It was the Dec 3 premier. Dinner was shrimp with veggies. We enjoyed listening to hoffman during dinner.