Asking for help, an administrative issue

Several friends have mentioned that it is either very difficult or impossible to comment on my blog.  I have checked all settings and I have it set so that anyone can post, either by name, anonymously, or with a google account.  I changed slightly the comment section so a window will no longer pop up when you want to comment, it should allow comment directly from the post.  It appears right now the problem is mostly in the mobile side of the blog.

The help I'm looking for is to please make a comment, any comment, even if just one word, and let me see if they are coming through.  I think most every blogger hopes for comments as it verifies you have readers, much more apparent than just the counter.

Thanks in advance for your help with this.  Now back to our regularly scheduled programming....

Slow, but good times

I've said many times over the years that when we are stationary in Florida, there sure isn't much to report, and it's true.  In fact, I was talking to a friend the other day and he asked, "So what are you guys up to?", and for a moment I couldn't come up with a thing.

We are definitely travelers, so for us, sitting is quite an adjustment, and if we'd just embrace it more, we'd find it is relaxing and the semblance of a routine is actually welcome, at least that's what we tell each other:-)

So what have we been doing?  First off we had the distinct honor of celebrating a dear friend, Jan's, 90th birthday.

Our birthday boy, Jan, celebrating with a beer

And then capping it off with a birthday sundae!

Another day we, Jan and I, with BIL Tom met good friends, Steve and Bobbie for lunch.  Well our very talented woodworker friend, Steve, presented us with an intarsia fish we had asked him about previously, and whether he thought he could make it for us.  He pulled it out and we were so amazed and grateful for the incredible job he had done!

The fantastic intarsia brown trout Steve made for us
Jan has already named him, "Brownie"

I ended up cat sitting, and therefore batching it for several days while Jan flew out to Fort Collins, CO to see our daughter Kelly, and our new son-in-law Brian.  

Our daughter, Kelly

Jan had a wonderful time, had a nice visit, and was able to get a good look at the area.

Downtown FoCo (Fort Collins)

Beautiful Horsetooth Reservoir

Snow covered Rockies

Enjoying a nice brunch with Kelly and Brian

Meanwhile I held down the fort here, catered to our cat Bert's every whim, enjoyed meeting Tom's friend Rob, and even got some fly tying in with my fantastic new magnifying lamp.  No, it certainly has nothing to do with age.

With a beautiful sunrise Jan had to say farewell.

Then she got to enjoy the harsh reality of flying into Minneapolis-St Paul on the way back in the winter:-)

A little bleak 

Standard operating procedures

Just so I don't disappoint anyone, we have enjoyed many, many lunches and several dinners with lots of friends. Yeah, gotta get a food pic in here:-)

Delicious tuna nachos

Seared tuna appetizer

We were finally able to accomplish something we have been working on for over a year.  We got our first Shingrix shot.  We have been searching and inquiring everywhere we have been, and finally found that of all places the Publix pharmacy had some vaccine in stock, and they are confident we will be able to get our second one before we leave in the spring.

The driver's chair continues to plague us.  We have ripped it apart, had several phone calls to the manufacturer and even bought a new control box hoping we could solve the issue.  But, no, so right now we have ordered new guts and mechanism and will just replace it all and start over.  Hopefully that will solve the problem, as long as we can actually get it all back together.

New control box and harness

New mechanism

So other than that and playing a ton of bocce, we haven't been doing anything.

Past time for an update, not a lot to report

We've been here for over a month already, wow, and we are just now settling in to a routine.  Unfortunately, I have become a medical challenge, and especially with all that happened last winter, arrival in Florida really works me up.  I just yesterday met with the last doctor and have been given clear sailing for another year.  Great news.  All told, I had 7 appointments in the last couple of weeks, enough to put stress on anyone:-)

We also have, by the time we get to Florida, an enormous jones for fresh fish and seafood.  We sure love the west, but there isn't a lot of grouper, scallops, shrimp, etc around.  So when we get here we do a mad dash to go out and get our fix, and when that can be combined with seeing and visiting with friends we haven't seen all summer, it's a double win.

Jan and I had a very quiet Christmas, talked to the kids, and had a delicious prime rib.  We cooked it a different way this year, and not that it was ever bad, they were all delicious, but this year it was fabulous!  Jan's sister, Karen had told us about a new cook book she had found, and we looked it over while in Taos.  It is called "The Food Lab" by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, subtitled "Better Home Cooking Through Science".  It is well worth getting, no I am not advertising it, but if you enjoy cooking this book puts an interesting and delicious spin on old favorites and new favorites.  You could always order it through my Amazon link at the top of the page:-)  Anyway our prime rib done as described was stellar!  He has done incredible amounts of research, trial and error, using science to take a new look at cooking.

Ha, you knew I couldn't post without at least one picture of food:-)
Pretty Awesome, huh?

We also enjoyed a quiet New Year's Eve, and we were sure to bring in the new year with a traditional dinner, pork, greens, cornbread; and with black eyed peas provided by Tom.  All was delicious, and I'm sure we'll enjoy good luck and financial prosperity in the new year.

We took a bit of time to try to clear some more stuff out of our storage unit, and were able to sell a couple larger items.  Progress.

Things seem pretty off kilter here this year.  A lot of folks have not returned, Jack and Betty not being here has thrown everyone for a loop.  Numerous others haven't returned, and several more announced that this would be their last year.  That is compounded by others not here right now because of the holidays, but in another week or so most everyone will be back, and a semblance of comfort will return.  

Now that we are stationary for a few months it's time for Jan to bring out the puzzles, and this time I even helped a bit.  I mentioned this year that we had visited the Liberty Puzzle factory in Boulder, CO, and bought a puzzle.  These are top shelf, wooden, intricate, amazing puzzles, and very challenging.  And our friend Ray's family passes them around between themselves, and he is always willing to loan one or two to Jan to do.  So we did ours and then 2 of Ray's.  If you like puzzles these are amazing.

The one we bought

Now we haven't launched into any projects yet with all the stuff going on, but had to try to fix my driver's seat because all of a sudden we can't move it.  We found a loose wire amongst the millions of wires, why would there be so many?  But it didn't help when I repaired it, so is it the switch, the control box, the what?

The controls for my seat

Is it this switch?

Why oh why are there so many wires?

Luckily it is adjusted to where I drive, but since we can't move it we can't turn it around, so still working on this.

So not much here, but wanted you all to know we were still here and kicking.  Posts definitely slow down when we aren't moving.

Bert is definitely not impressed

But we have been enjoying our fire on the few cool evenings we've had

HAPPY NEW YEAR !