This was a productive day. Ann came over for an ag inspection. I went outside and hooked up the inflation blower. It's mounted near the heater and attached via a 4 inch dryer pipe to the top. Next I put plastic on the rest of the sidewalls. I finished the job but ran out of strip tape. Still have a few other strips that need taping including the deadmen. Libbie worked on removing mondo grass. The Wall Street journal subscription began today via Home Delivery. Surprising. Dinner was crab cakes on buns with tomato. I lost 3 pounds, down to 243. It's cold out today but nice and sunny so it wasn't that bad. My fingers were cold installing the inflation but stapling the plastic all was well again.

I didn't do much today. Nancy came over in the morning and played Violets with Libbie. I went outside and spent 2 hours removing Mondo grass and transplanted it to the front yard. Dinner was the 15 bean soup which was excellent. We went to the greenhouse and removed the inflation blower. This was while I waited for Walgreens to fulfill my Potassium prescription. I had to illegally join the W club to get the stuff at a discount, $30 for 90 days. Kroger wanted $27 for 30 days worth. It's a very windy evening tonight.

Outdoors it's a miserable day. Cold, dreary and rainy. I had a physical at 9:30. this went well, my weight is too high and Blood Pressure is up. They doubled the diuretic to 50 mg. My challenge was to find this generically priced. Next was the Home Depot fence estimate. The guy came out at 12:30 when it was raining pretty good. The estimate was way over what I ever thought it would cost. The price was $2590. Ouch! Next we went to the greenhouse. I took down the cool cell interval timer to use on the inflation blower. I wanted to take down the inflation fitting and blower but the realtor showed u p. We listed with Brad after talking with him a little. He sounds like a nice guy. We went with $100 on the lot/orchard and $500 on the greenhouse property. It really started raining harder when we concluded. Dinner was left over quasadilla from La Cosina and then Libbie's Ham 15 bean soup. Good stuff! We enjoyed Aida which was a classic performance from 300 years ago.

Picked up groceries this morning and emailed the realtor about listing the greenhouse land. Outside I cut down the roses and Lantana. The meeting started at noon. Sheila brought a nice lunch.
The subject was Gesneriads. Everyone brought their favorite Gesneriads for show and tell. I showed a few slides from the Dr Clark presentation about Gesneriads, the beginning has what countries each type comes from. It's pretty educational. Dinner this evening was a trip to La Cosina for Quasadilla and a margarita. At home we listened to some of Tosca live from the met before going uopstairs. I'm reading a Cast Memoir of Disney world.

Today is cold and miserable outside. I painted the kitchen vent cover inside my workshop and studied some Arduino hardware. Did not do a whole lot today. I bought the ingredients for broccoli salad for the violet club tomorrow. libbie helped me make it. We scrambled around cleaning for the club meeting tomrorow. Dinner was Lobster pasta from Trader Joes.

I'm running a little slow today. After the morningnshows I went to Home Depot for some gas pipes. Redid the gas line to the greenhouse heater and hooked it up. Leak tested the gas and all is well.Libbie made her excellent pizza with dough she had frozen.

We got up early, packed the rest of the car and got moving in the car at 6:30 AM. The sun started rising as we approached Tampa on I-75. We stopped for McDonalds biscuits on I-4 at the second exit after getting on I-4. Traffic was normal the whole trip, we had no delays. It was also warmer than normal. Although it was in the early morning 50's throughout Florida, when we got up into GA and SC the temps were in the 70's for a beautiful January day. I had to get gas at the last exit in FL for 3.44, I couldn't make it to GA for cheaper gas. Our next stop was Florence where we had McDonalds snack wraps for lunch and topped off at 3.18 per gallon at the Raceway. We arrived home around 5:30 which was a quite normal 11 hour trip. For dinner we had tuna sandwiches. Before dinner we had cheese and crackers with a glass of Shiraz. Everything looked good at home, the plants, the fish, the watering system.

We spent the morning working around the condo. After lunch we hooked up the bikes to the car and drove to the Venice train station. Took a bike ride along the waterway to the Gulf. Along the way we saw a bald eagle on a dead tree and many gopher turtles along the road. Turned around at Caspersen beach and rode back. Tried to come back on Honore so we turned up 681 but found you can't get onto it from 681, It only goes to 681 on the Southbound side. We ended up taking I-75 to Clark to get home. We next tried to go to Yoders for Honeybelles but got there one minute after closing. At Publix next we picked up wine and some prepared pineapple chicken with 2 eggrolls. Libbie is having stomach problems from having too much food (or beef the night before?) We packed up as much as we could for an early take off tomorrow.

It's a chilly day. We took a ride downtown and walked the bayfront enjoying the Season of Sculpture. I photographed every piece. I will do a slide show when we get home. Bill made some very nice slide shows of his safari trip. I can envision a media center attached to our TV with a selection of these movies for our own entertainment.

We enjoyed breakfast with Bill and Barb. We then took a walk around the block with them before they left later in the morning. They are going to stay with her Dad in Jensen Beach. We then had lunch at the club house, I had a BLT with fruit and a glass of Yuengling. Later we went back for pub night. I enjoyed the flank steak with a glass of Cabernet. I finished the Stephen King 11/22/62 book. It didn't end the way I thought it would but was an excellent read.

We spent the morning cleaning the condo. I took care of spots on the rug and also cleaned the windows. I ran out of cleaner so we did a run to Publix and also returned the telephone wires to Sears. Came back and touched up the place including vacuuming. We stopped at the clubhouse on the way back for Yuengling and sandwiches. I had a BLT and sweet potato fries. Bill and Barb came around 4:30. They both were getting over a cold. We found that both Jeff's wife Carrie and Corrie were pregnant. We went to dinner at the club. I had Horseradish crusted Salmon with veggies and rice. Very nice. We stayed at the table and chatted a while.

We were going to do a bike ride today but ran out of time. I worked on VB Express 2010 a little in the morning. It doesn't seem much different than VB6. We had some cheese and crackers for lunch then left at 1:50 for Ted and Lorraines. I stopped in Walmart for a new clock and aspirin (81 mg aspirin a day stuff). Got to Port Charlotte a little after 3. The address is not in the GPS. Instead we took Tamiami to Cornelius at the Circle K. Turned right and went until we found a major BLVD. Went down a half mile and found the entrance to Riverwood. After the gate took a left at the second Stop sign onto Club. Took that to Silver Lakes on the left. They live on Silver Lakes Circle, 14435. Had a glass of wine at their home then Ted drove to the Lock and Key on Manasota Key. The Seafood restaurant was very nice. I had salmon topped with Papaya and Mango. Perfect. Some squash and other veggies complete the $22 dish. Total bill with tip was $51. It was an enjoyable evening. Their son Brian is engaged but no wedding date yet. Fiance is Nicole. We came back shortly after 9 after stopping at Lorraine's house again after dinner. We stayed a few minutes then started back.

I got up early this morning at 6:15 but Libbie slept in till 9. We had a high calorie night, with lots of wine last night but I was OK this morning. Started using VB 2010 Express to rewrite the Great Violets program. Took a walk around the block. We decided to go to the clubhouse at 3:30 but found they only had cold cuts on a buffet table. Instead we ordered a pizza from Valentinos around 6 PM. They're on Clark in the Expo center. We got a Large for $14.40. I ordered the relays for the new greenhouse this evening. They should get there by the time we get home. After 60 minutes we watched PBS New Years in Vienna concert. Nice. Comcast switched to a digital system and gave us a box of junk to hook up. The lower channels work fine as analog but for the upper premium channels we need the boxes hooked up. I want HGTV for the Rose parade tomorrow. Hookup was a pain in the ass. The set top box is overly complicated and a piece of shit. I counted over 50 buttons just to watch TV. It's going back to Comcast. The little adapters are better - smaller remotes, smaller box.

We spent some time this morning working in the condo washing towels, putting some of the new stuff away. Called Lorraine and arranged for a visit and found out that the other phones do not work in the condo. Investigated and found the Ooma was hooked up wrong. When it was hooked up right, the Scout device didn't work. I found the Scout output needs to be put on a second set of wires in the telephone cable, a jobe for a splitter. Looked at them in Radio Shack but I rejected a $10 splitter. Bought some parts in Sears but still wasn't happy. Went to Walmart and bought some junction boxes and made the splitter I needed. It worked but the light wouldn't come on in the Scout device. Took apart outlets in the house to trace the wiring and then found that the brightness was turned down. Turned it up and the light was working all along!!!!
Left at 7 for the party. Ordered a wine at a table in the lobby then went to the horsdouevres. We had scallops, duck, cheese, fruit, beef on a skewer, etc. This was a meal itself. We had another wine then they brought out lobster followed by strawberry sorbet. We then had a salad of cucumbers, tomatillo, pecans and lots of stuff. Next course was the desert of chocolate covered raspberry mousse. We ended the evening with a champagne toast at midnight. I was tired and had too much to drink. After our second glass of wine we ordered a bottle of Ravenswood Zin but had to sub Clove Zin which was $36 but they gave it to us at the $27 price. We sat with Hort and heidi from MA, Tony and Siggy from Germany and Hurda and ??? from Canada.

We left this morning at 9:30 for Dunedin. Had not trouble at all finding the Rainbows End quilt shop on Broadway. We followed GPS up 275 to 19 to Dunedin. Travel was easy. The shop was unbelievable. I have never seen so many bolts of fabric or notions. It was colorful. We drove through the little downtown and then stopped at a Micky D for snack wraps for lunch. On the way home stopped at Bobs Cleaners to pick up our comforter which came out excellently then stopped at Michaels to get cutting supplies for Libbie's quilt. Rested at home before going out to our favorite Thai restaurant, Bangkok Thai. Our server was a tiny and petite Thai girl with the unlikely name of Nicole. I had a mixed seafood Pad Thai. We each had a glass of Merlot. Nicole had a little baby voice, it was cute.

This was a lazy day. We did stuff around the condo and took inventory of our sheets and towels. We took the queen comforter to Bobs Cleaners behind Publix at Clark and Tamiami for cleaning. Left for a quilt shop in North Sarasota called Quilters Stash. It has only been open 7 weeks and was very nice but didn't have much. Libbie wanted a cutter and board but no dice. Next we went downtown to Whole Foods and had a slice of pizza and a bottle of generic water. We then went to Selby which is always a treat. Had a nice talk with one of the volunteers about Gesneriads. Came back via Midnight Pass. Stopped in Kohls to get the towels and pillows we decided we needed. The cashier was a very pretty young girl who gave me an eyeful with her low cut top and extremely short tight skirt. It was actually the shortest skirt I have ever seen. When she bent over to put the pillows in the bag I was treated to a view of everything. Wow. We stopped in the Publix liquor store and got some individual bottles of Rum for our egg nog. Had cheese, crackers and egg nog during sunset then went to the club for Rib night. I had a half rack with baked potato and salad. We each had a glass of Shiraz. The food was great, our server Kevin was not so great. We were pretty much ignored. We noticed he wasn't very good with his other tables either.

We left this morning at 7:04 and got off to a good start. It was a blue sky sunny trip. At Hardeeville SC we were stopped in stop and go traffic which cleared up mysteriously once we lceared the exit. Stopped for lunch and gas at St Mary exit 3. Gas was 3.25 per gallon, lunch was snack wraps at McDonalds. The Mickey D was crowded and dirty. Our next issue was traffic just past Orlando through the Disney World exits we were once again stopped. We also were stopped at the I-4 and I-75 merge. In all we lost an hour, arriving at Stoneybrook at 7 PM. We had time to change our clothes and have dinner at the Clubhouse. It was pub night. We had crab cakes with salad and garlic bread and 2 glasses of Shiraz each. It was a nice end to a not so nice drive. After dinner we picked up coffee and Moose Tracks yogurt at Publix. We had the yogurt back at the condo. On the way down Libbie told me the triplets are named Sweetpea, Chickadee and Monkey.

This morning we woke to rain which wasn't supposed to start until noon. Had to go outside in my slippers and retrieve the roll of plastic in a cardboard box which was on the trailer. It got a little wet. Moved it into the garage. The Tower Timer crashed. I went through and put watchdog resets throughout the program to make sure this doesn't happen again. Tested it with the water turned off. It cleared a little after lunch so I went out and installed the flue pipe on the greenhouse furnace. This went as planned - frame a swuare hole, cut some flashing to support the pipe and then bolt the pipe to the furnace. Three feet of Type B pipe was perfect. Put the cap on. This is another completed job. Next is to hook up the gas and then finish the sidewall plastic. Will order the relays in Florida. Hopefully they will come as we arrive home. Will wait till New Years Day to do this. Dinner was pasta from Krogers. I didn't like it as much as the Lobster pasta we have had from Trader Joe's.

Talked to Arlene this morning. She called because we left a Xmas message yesterday. Chatted for a long time. Next I went to home Depot for u clamps and a conduit fitting. Finished wiring the fan socket in the greenhouse then went to work on hanging the heater. Cut the rusty 1.5 inch pipe into 55 inch lengths and attached it to the bows with the u clamps. Went back to buy chain then cut the chain in 4 lengths and carried the heater up the ladder to hang it. Using the chains I was able to hang the heater level and so that the exhaust clears the side wall. Tomorrow I'll work on framing a chimmney feedthru and then cut a piece of sheet metal for the pipe to go through.
Dinner was warm cheese and ham sandwiches. This was all I needed. Read some more of 11/22/62 by Stephen King while the met had Hansel & Gretel live. Kate Lindsey played Hansel which was nice since she's a favorite. Watch a CBS 2 interview with her via youtube. She was promoting Hansel and Gretel for the met.

For Christmas morning Libbie made ham and eggs with toast. We next opened some Christmas presents. Libbie gave me a replacement socket for the one lost at the greenhouse. I had put two boxes of Russel Stover under the tree. I used the day off to continue working on the Meistersinger program. I added two more feeds to Pachube so we could monitor this from Florida this week.
Libbie made her wonderful pizza once again. It looks like now Meistersinger has the correct feeds coming from the porch via an Xbee and also the stuff is on the web and on Pachube.

Worked the morning inside trying to get Meistersinger to compile with Arduino 1.0. After a while I finally found the errors of my way calling the client wrong. Fixed that and it now compiles. would like to add this to the current setup but I'll wait till tomorrow so I'll have ample debug time. I ran the conduit with wire in it over to the fan in the greenhouse. Next I'll figure out how to hang the heater. Dinner was ham, sweet potato and Broccoli along with Beringers Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was nice and hearty and dry but not much oak characteristic. In the afternoon we listened to La Fille Du Regiment live from the Met.

We started the day by going to the greenhouse to look for staples and pick up a roll of leftover plastic. No staples so it was a trip to Lowes for staples. Brought this stuff home and then went to Krogers for our Christmas ham and fixings. Put more plastic up on the sidewall then switched to working on the gas line. I ran a new gas line all the way up to the heater and capped it with a shutofff. Leak tested everything and came in satisfied. Dinner was ham, sweet potato, broccoli and Chardonnay. During dinner the Met was playing Hoffman from 1989. This was a very productive day.

I had to get blood. taken in Cary this morning. When I came back home I had breakfast then went to Home Depot for electrical stuff and gas pipes. I have everything needed to finish wiring. Installed the inside plastic on the shutter wall then ran the rest of the conduit and hooked up 3 outlets. WooHoo! Next I'll run a wire inside conduit to the fan wall for the fan. Today is a very warm day - 70 degrees for the first day of winter! Dinner was veggie lasagna. After dinner I read and listened to a live broadcast of madama Butterfly.

This was a relatively productive day. We went to Lowes and got conduit and fittings to run power to the shutters and heater in the greenhouse. I installed all that stuff so now rough in is done. Still much to do. It's a reiny day and the greenhouse leaks like heck all along the bow to house attachment. Dinner was Quesadilla and a Margarita at La Cosina. After dinner we watched a pretty interesting synchronized light display in Cary on Balmoral Drive. It was pretty cool, the first time I have ever seen one of these.

I broke down and picked up a new computer at Office Max. It's an i3 by Acer. It seems to have enough power. I'm having trouble with Win 7 networking in order to transfer files from my other computer. The keyboard also seems to be smaller but not much of a problem. Put some plastic on the sidewalls this afternoon. It's a warm day but I didn't get much done. Next item is to run the power everywhere. I also need the Xbee temperture sensing so we can remotely monitor everything. Dinner was lobster Ravioli. I spent the evening installing software on my new laptop.