Do I hang out in Florida too much?

When I was down here sometime earlier this year, I was playing with dad's camera and took this photo of some future Florida oranges:



And now, here in November, I get to see the finished product:

Okay, so here's the deal...

I booked a trip to Florida to see my Dad. Leaving Sheveport is slim pickings, I gotta tell you. There are 2 morning flights, one at oh-dark-thirty, and the other at-half-past-sunrise. Since I am bumming a ride to the airport, I opt for the later of the stupidly early flights.

Waiting until a more human time of day might have sent me on a nine hour flight to some exotic city like Detroit, or given me a 6 hour layover in some cool place like Nowhere, USA. So I took the late early flight.

Delta flies through Atlanta, and that is usually the Burmuda Triangle of Layovers. My flight out to Melbourne is at 1 pm. So, not wanting to sit with my bag for 3 hours, I hesitated for a moment before I checked it through to Melbourne.

Surprise, surprise, surprise....we arrive in Atlanta only to be put in a holding pattern.....but somehow we were cleared to land earlier than scheduled. That's okay the pilot assured us, we would get to wait on the tarmac for a gate. And STILL we arrive early.

So, I trudge up the ramp with laptop, purse and puzzle book, look up and see a flight to Melbourne, not only on time but at the gate, preparing to board. It would get me in to my destination 2 hours earlier, and greatly reduce my boring layover here in Atlanta.

In my mind, I am in like Flynn. I can zip into town early, hitch-hike to Dad's (okay, that was when I was a hippie, I would call a cab in this millenium), and suprise the crap out of everyone!!!!!! Great idea, hu?

NO WAY JOSE BOSE! You must be on the plane that your luggage is on, why didn't you gate check your bag? So I wouldn't have to sit around and watch it for 3 long hours. But if you had gate checked your bag, you could get on this flight. I don't care when my bag gets there, I can drive up and get I can buy new clothes and pick it up on my way out of town for all I care, I just want on the earlier flight. But federal law states that you must be on the plane with your luggage. I don't give a crap about my luggage, 2 extra hours with my dad is more important. If the weather was bad you could do it. Is cold bad? No. Is cold when you are from the south bad? Look, I am wearing my winter coat (Kentucky sweatshirt), this is really bad weather for me. Nope! Is there am equipment problem that could put me on this flight? Sorry, all the planes seem to be in the best shape ever for this holiday season.

Live and Learn, and journal when it happens. Off to watch crap tv for a couple of hours.

We're going to be the cutest family on the Polar Express!!!!!

We are going on the Polar Express ride in Palestine Tx. I guess it is a bigger deal than I thought, because people keep telling me that they have tried to get tickets and they sell out soooo fast. Anyhoooooo. I decided that if I was going to take my herd of grand kids to that that they were going to match, match, match!!

Off to the Old Navy website and here is the result:



A perfect match, 3 in blue,


2 in pink...


How freaking cute is all that?

And just how much of the world have you seen?

Thanks Ces!

Red Sky at Night, Sailor's Delight?

Beautiful sunsets...


Bring morning............Rain!


And gray skies...


And I wish you could hear the rain, slamming on the roof....

A new tradition is born

I decided that I would start a new family tradition for the Florida bunch. Since we are together a few times a year, sometimes near one person's birthday but never near another person's birthday. So, now when we are all together I think we should always have birthday cake and ice cream....

Time for a pre-tropical storm power outage.


Happy Birthday every body.


Candles go out easy with so many mouths to blow.


Two of my favorite people came to the party.
Ben and Jerry!


Jimmy got frosted.

Good job Becca!

And Becca in return.

Good job Linda!

Dad's new pet

Has been coming in the house daily and smashing his wings against the ceiling and the light. I keep putting him out and telling him to run free, but he doesnt get it. This morning he was floating face down in the dog's water bowl and I thought he had gone to the bug box in the sky. To my surprise, he started moving when I picked him up and carried him out to a branch on the tree off the porch. If you could have seen the look in his eyes when I saved him!



He's about 3" long with about a 4" wing span. I wish he would stay out when I put him out!