I spent most of today working on the LEDs for the NCID display. I should be doing the IOS stuff but I want this to work as well. I also need to get the greenhouse and porch monitoring off the ground. It's currently not reporting again. This thing is not reliable. May have to switch to an Ethernet based transmission from the workshop to the office closet. We had a tuna sandwich for dinner then went to the Dance party with a bottle of Mondavi Cabernet because it's a pajama party and wine tasting. I skipped the pajamas and only brought the wine.

I had some good success today on IOS. The thing finally recognizes when I have 2 different hybridizers for the same violet. This was a struggle but finally accomplished. The reason for the difficulty was that I was expecting the RefID to be unique and it is incorrect in my database. We went to Esquire in the evening and had a very good time. Charlie and Terry were sick and Gary and Janet were at Gary's mothers funeral so it was a smaller crowd. The Tune Swingers play a lot of foxtrot and not much of anything else.

We had an excellent lesson with Robert today. We added a chasse to our routine followed by a lock. I think this will really jazz up our waltz steps. For dinner we stopped by Kroger coming home from dance and got some more chicken thighs and made the mustard glazed chicken again. This time no wine. We bought lessons today. 10 to start then Libbie spun the wheel for 2 more free lessons and a chance to buy 6 more at half price. We went for it and now have 18 lessons in the bank.

It's surprisingly warm but cloudy today. Worked on the IOS app of course and then did a grocery run. Picked up the ingredients for chicken thighs with a rub and mustard glaze. Yummy. Broccoli accompanied the meal.

It's a cold rainy day outside. I stayed inside working on the IOS app. I'm having some confusion over page management in IOS vs what it was in Android. I did a lot of studying and possibly came out with a solution. Dinner tonight was a delicious turkey casserole that Libbie came up with. It included turkey, celery, chicken soup stock and saltine crackers. It was yummy.

This is the last of the nice warm days. Went outside and raked pine straw in the driveway and then painted the sewer pipe in the back black. Making great progress on the advanced search function of the IOS app. I'm not 100% yet but am feeling much better. Learned today that my friend Irwin died yesterday. He was 80. It was quite a shock since I just saw him at MAAVS in October. Libbie made her pizza today from a dough ball she had previously frozen.

Still not feeling terrific. My intestines really hurt. Fooled around with trying to focus the SLR onto a Film Frame. It's too far away to focus well. the more extension tubes I add the closer to the lens the object has to be which is a problem because i can't get the camera very close. I have been continuing to work on the IOS app. Today I worked on laying out the screen for the advanced search. Just found out there is no spinner control to implement a dropdown but I found a code module to achieve this. Dinner was more leftover turkey with the last of the stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and broccoli. I only had water with the meal. yesterday I ordered the displays from Adafruit for NCID Display. They were having a 15% off Black Friday special. I also went on eBay and ordered an arduino uno since I didn't have any and the display needs one. The server can accept messages to be broadcast to all clients. I will use this to send temperature and other misc status.

Another beautiful day. We went out to Lowes in the Black Friday craziness and bought filters and dehydrated worms as well as PVC parts for my projector project. I have a tummy ache or something. Not sure what's going on but it hurts everytime I eat.
Anne brought a $450 check over for us as payment for an extension of the closing date for our land. New date is Jan 15 which may be a problem since we are in Florida.
We hit Kroger for the Friday Freeby as well as ham and cheese to make the cheese-ham-turkey melt sandwiches from cooking light.
Dinner was thanksgiving leftover turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy with the rest of the champagne.

I went to Sheetz and bought the paper as well as a donut. Libbie's computer won't turn on today. I found a Black Friday from Dell for the laptop for $299 with the sale starting at midnight. I also checked Amazon and eBay. Took her laptop apart by removing all the screws on the bottom and popping the case apart. Removed the battery and also the watch battery. Measure the voltage of both. The watch voltage was 3.0 volts which was nornmal and the computer battery read 11.7 volts, also good. Put it back in and the computer now boots! Put the case back together and will call it fixed. Its weird how hard it is to get to the battery, in the old days you just pushed a button and released it. Libbie made Fruit Cake while the Thanksgiving Parade was on. Later in the PM we took a walk around the lake in Seagroves. Many people out walking. It's a beautiful sunny day, around 70 degrees.
Dinner was out Thanksgiving feast. We had turkey, stuffing, cranberry, mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy with Korbel Brut champagne. Pumpkin Pie for dessert with whipped cream on it.

I was able to download and decode my first update map on the IOS app this morning. Now to kick off the required data downloads. Anne Cain got the extra $50 for us from the other agent making the total fee $450. She said she will drop it off.
For dinner I went to Kroger and got Asparagus and looked for Snow Peas but had to substitute green beans. The produce stocker went in the back to see if there were any and came back and told me they will be on the truck tomorrow, Thanksgiving. We need them tonight. We cooked chicken, green beans and asparagus with a dipping sauce. Recipe was from Cooking Light which we also enjoyed last year, the Wed before Thanksgiving. Pretty cool.

Libbie headed out with me to the Grocery store where we got the fruit cake ingredients plus the turkey dinner ingredients. When we got to the store we found the fruit cake list was at home. Libbie stayed in Kroger fetching the turkey stuff while I ran home to get the fruit cake list. Our grocery bill was $226. Wow, this included $5 worth of coupons plus an $11 senior discount. To make matters worse, I went to the ABC store and picked up Brandy and Vodka for a total of $36. We heard from Anne that the extension check for $400 is in her possession but she was not happy since it should be $450. I didn't mind the $400. Dinner was the leftover lasagna from last night plus we finished the wine from our Florida trip.

Ran over to Lowes in Cary and picked up an auger bit for the drill to plant bulbs plus another bag of tulip bulbs and crocus. The auger went into the ground easily but killed the battery. I switched to the backup and continued, planting all the new bulbs. Still have the others in the garage. For dinner tonight I made Tex Mex Lasagna froom cooking light which includes corn, beans, salsa and mexican cheese. It's yummy. We had this with a glass of Cabernet.

During the day I worked on the IOS app, specifcally the downloads section. I found there is no encryption of maps available so I changed the upload app on android to upload 2 files, one encrypted for FC4A and one not encrypted for FC4i..

Planted about 70 bulbs using a shovel in the front yard and also cut all the lower branches from the White Pine which used to be the Billy Johnson Christmas Tree out by the mailbox. I stacked the branches next to the street for hopefully town pickup. Libbie made her pizza from scratch while I worked some more on the IOS app. We had the pizza for dinner. Tried covering the blooming Iris in the back yard because it's supposed to get down below freezing tonight.
Libbie posted me planting bulbs and John Carter suggested I try a soil auger from Lowes for $15. I'll look at Lowes Cary in the morning. Apex is showing no inventory.

Up at 6 AM and after my shower and getting dressed we started loading the car and putting stuff away that was out. We left Stoneybrook at 7:24. Our first stop was in Lake MAry at McDonalds then at a gas station nearby. Traffic was OK, a little heavy around Disney but no stopping. Next stop was in Georgia at Port Chester which is the last exit in Georgia. We had burgers at Wendys in front of the Sweet Tea Grill then got gas across the street at a Murphy Express. On the way through SC I pulled off at exit 57 and finally got to visit the SC Artisan center. It was worth it. Lots of nice local art. I enjoyed the slave kitchen behind the artisan center with a red rocker on the porch. Took soome cell phone pics then bought a note card with this image inside. Last stop of the journey was to top off at Pilot which is exit 170 of Florence. Gas was $1.79. Got home at 7:45 which was not bad considering the stops including the artisan center.

Updated LSAVC this morning after hearing from both Anne and MAry yesterday. Did quite a bit on the IOS app. I added a menu and the about function. I also got the tap image for alternate to work well. It tells you there is an alternate and then correctly displays the credit. No pinch to zoom though. We go home tomorrow which is too bad. Now working on the updates. I got the isWiFi function to work. Next I need the download function from fc4.avsa.org to get the list of updates.
We went out to Casey Key to the FishHouse around 7 PM and found they were closed due to a private party. On the way hoome on Tamiami we decided to try the Italian Grill. It was a good choice. Service was very prompt, the prices were reasonable and the food was delicious. I ordered Eggplant Parmesan but got chicken parmesan instead. I accepted it and had a mug of Yuengling to accompany the meal. It was a nice evening, warm out as well. Came homoe and packed my suitcase.

Spent a lot of time working on the iPad today finally got forward and reverse to work in the list. The list has a max of 100 plants listed, the others have to be paged on and off the disk. We had wine and cheese in the evening then went out to the club house for rib night. We had a delightful server named Mayra. She was cute and friendly. We both had 7 oz prime rib with baked potato, cabernet, broccoli and yorkshire pudding. Very nice evening at the clubhouse. We chose to go a little later, around 6:45 and had no problems.
The property buyer wants a closing extension which we quoted a price of $450 for. Let's see how this flies.

Went out to Selby Gardens and renewed our membership. Had a lovely time in the garden. They are really maintaining the place. Must be new management. In the evening we went out to Pub night where I had the excellent stuffed cabbage which came with Kielbasi and green beans. I really liked it. A Yuengling helped to wash it down.
I booked an AirBnB today for a house on the West side of the trail near us. We'll come back in Feb for Aida.

This morning I went to the homeowners meeting to catch up with what's going on. New plants for $650 and new carpeting are in the works as well as replacement lights. In the evening after a light dinner of melted cheese on toast we went to La Boheme. Sarasota Opera outdid themselves in this production. the singers were excellent and the sets were fabulous. I can't believe how many singers were on stage for the Cafe Momus scene. The lady next to me told me about her mutual fund, the Baron fund. they have an annual conference in NYC with entertainment such as Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett. We got out at 10:39 after a start time of 7:30. We drove around and couldn't find parking but ended up parking in the garage behind the Opera house.

Went out at 10 this morning to the Ringling which is free on Mondays. Enjoyed the art museum, saw an exhibit about the Sarasota School of Architecture and then treasures of the 15th century China. Libbie really was fascinated, me not so much. Tamiami was incredibly busy. One lane was closed for construction around Best Buy. Very busy. Had lunch at the Banyan Cafe at the art museum.
Tried to go see the sand castles at Siesta Key but the parking lot was full. Went out to Casey Key Fish house for dinner. I had a crab cake basket which comes with fries and slaw. Yuengling for a drink topped the meal off. It was good.

Surprisingly the internet and the TV were back on today. Verizon has this down to a science. worked on writing on the computer most of the day, also picked up some wine and cheese in lieu of lunch today. We went to the ballet at 1 PM over at AMC 12 at the mall next to Costco. Really liked the jewels by the Bolshoi. They did a fantastic job. Went out at 6 and picked up a pizza from Valentinos which we had with a glass of wine. Nice.

After breakfast and loading the car we were out the door at 7 AM. Stopped in Florence for biscuits then Baldwin for Big Mac lunch and gas. Traffic was light but it got a little crazy between Tampa and Sarasota with wild drivers. We got in at 6:30 and went over to the clubhouse for dinner. I had a beer and the chickn pasta special which was OK but not great. It was convenient to go to the clubhouse for dinner. No Internet or TV here, it's supposed to be turned back on tomorrow.

We picked up the heaters at the greenhouse as well as a lot of misc other stuff. They rode well in the trailer which was surprising considering all the weight. Reprogrammed the sprinkler for the violet watering then finished up the first 3 chapters of the surrogate story and uploaded them to ASSTR. I like the story flow. I'm going to add more. We chose not to go out to dance tonight because we were both tired and Libbie's leg hurt. Good decision since I had a lot to do with packing then updating the LSAVC website. We leave in the morning for Florida but I don't want to go. It's too nice around here and I have a lot I want to do.

Went to the greenhouse and completed the wiring task. The panel looks pretty neat, I only left the spotlight and the well pump on the panel. All else has been removed and the wires removed as well. Came home with the last bag of wire for the scrap yard. The dumpster was gone. I could see that the truck got stuck in the wet ground while trying to pull the dumpster uphill. There are lots of tire tracks in the mud including come down the hill next to the old greenhouse structure into the turnaround which is the route I assume he took to get free.
At home I picked up the piles of pine straw that Libbie collected from the driveway and spread it over the roots of the big pin oak in the back yard. I noticed that the electric fence insulator was compromised. I didn't have any more nail in insulators but I was able to repurpose one of the yellow screw on ones with a nail and a large washer. It's not great and is rigged up. I finished another chapter of my surrogate story today. I like the way the writing is going so far. I'm going to revise it all after chapter 3 and then upload. For dinner we went out to La Cocina where I had a Quesadilla La Cocina with a mug of Yuengling. After dinner I finished the Atomic Times book which I started in September. It took too long to do, the next one I hope will be better because i believe reading helps with writing and I want to improve my writing.

Went to the greenhouse at 9:30 and worked on stripping the wires from the ceiling in the garage building. Removed the 2 control panels and took them home as well along with a garbage bag full of wire. I now have 2 bags of wire in the garage at home ready to go to the scrap yard. The dumpster still wasn't picked up when i was there in the morning. Left at noon because I have a Time Warner repair guy coming. Time Warner came at 12:45 for a 1 PM appointment. The guy was nice and replaced the connector coming into the house. He also wrapped it with tape and sealed it with silicon. Nice guy, nice job. Glad it's taken care of. Went to dance at 3:30 with Robert. We bought 3 sponsorships, will probably have to buy lessons in the next few weeks. Had a very good waltz lesson. Learned how to do 3/8 waltz turns efficiently. The secret was a straight line instead of at an angle. Robert added something new, the reverse twinkle zig zag. Dinner was the other half of the loin ribs which were outstanding. Very meaty and very tasty. We had this with broccoli and a bottle of Shiraz. I finished writing the first part of my story, the surrogate. I'm a little rusty. this draft needs a little revising before I upload it to the stories site. I have ideas for several sequel parts.

In the rain I loaded the trailer with the bed parts from the attic and other misc stuff. I put this on top of the dumpster then called for a pickup. All of the clay pots are gone thanks to Craigslist. The rain finally stopped in the PM and the sun came out while I updated the Lone star website with convention pics from Marjorie. I started writing again. It's hard and I'm getting rusty. I struggled with getting started and struggled with writing the story. Hopefully this will straighten itself out with practice even though I'm the only one going to read my stories. We had the rest of the leftover Tex-Mex casserole for dinner. Yummy. The new cable modem is working really great, it hasn't crashed once since installed. The other one had serious problems and wouldn't go for more than a few minutes before crashing. Web traffic seemed to hasten the crash time. Glad it's all fixed. I studied TripAdvisor regarding Alaska and decided I can do much better than the packaged tours by pursuing our own (my) interests. I found a BnB 10 miles from the entrance to Denali that's a consideration.