Tempting Peter Rabbit

Now that the garden is fenced to keep out Peter Rabbit, we're preparing and planting the garden.

 Of course you can't see the seeds in the ground. but you can see the red stepping stones separating the various sections of the garden. Since it is still February, there is still time to plant winter crops such as potatoes, peas, carrots, cabbage, and broccoli. March1 we can plant everything else but since this winter has been so warm we may get a head start and plant now. Just imagine the corn and melon patches, the tomato paradise (if you click on a picture you may be able to see the many wire cages awaiting the tomato plants we are starting in our kitchen), the bean and squash patch, the potato hills, and the veggie sections with chard, lettuce, cilantro, onions and other great things to eat. I'll show another picture in a month or two to show that we've been able to help Peter Rabbit resist temptation.

Peter Rabbit. Stay out of the garden!!

The wild bunnies ate most of our fall garden as soon as the vegetable leaves popped out of the ground. Only the onions and Swiss chard survived. We hope this new garden fence will keep Peter Rabbit and his buddies out so we'll have lots of great veggies this coming year after our March planting.

Yes, Dreams Come True.

When I was dating my wife, she said that her dream was to be carried away to Wyoming in the arms of a cowboy. Instead she was carried away to Florida in a Volkswagen driven by a college professor.

But dreams do come true to those who are patient. Yesterday she was carried away by a 17 year old birthday boy grandson cowboy showing off his new boots and cowboy hat. But she will be staying in Florida.

Three Kings Day Surprise!

 Is this Choco coming to remind Grandpa that after the Christmas fun of get-to-gethers, bonfires, engagement announcements,and exchanging presents, you need to do something special for Three Kings Day on January 6 to top things off? Grandma thinks so.

She doesn't want Grandpa to part rivers, lakes, or seas like Moses (though he seems to be doing a good job in this practice run) ...

or melt snowmen to protect our papaya trees (remember, this is sunny Florida!!) 

 How about learning a new skill more appropriate for Florida? Her suggestion: plumbing to replace the kitchen sink faucet so water comes out?

Grandma and the Three Kings all approve of the new building skill--though Grandpa still thinks that being a college professor was a better career choice than becoming a plumber.

Another Talented Grandchild

Our granddaughter Maren is another talented actor and singer in the family. She was the star of the school play--best of the show by far!! It was a comedy romance set in Old England.

Sad News!!

Hay Hay is gone--eaten up by a hungry hawk!!

Would this be a good replacement?

Christmas Hawaiian Style

This year the church decided to have a Hawaiian instead of a Florida style Christmas dinner. This included cooking a whole pig wrapped in some banana leaves that our family donated. However, it rained 5 inches the day before so we couldn't dig a pit to cook the pig underground for 8 hours. The pit would have been a swimming pool and we didn't have the faith of the Prophet Ezekiel who could build a fire after soaking the wood in water. Instead it was cooked in a traditional Florida style barrel smoker. I guess that makes the roasted pig Hawaiian/Floridian. Here are some pictures of us bringing in the pig and carving it up. It was delicious.

Did Mikulas visit you?

December 6 is a special day in Hungary. It's when good boys and girls wake up to find that Mikulas or the Hungarian Saint Nick or Santa has climbed through their window the previous night to put candy and perhaps a small present in their shoes.

But he knows that American children also await a visit. However, his sack can only carry so much and America is a much larger country with many more children.  He knows too that American children expect more than just candy and a small present. So he takes advantage of the six hour time difference between Hungary and Florida to dash over to check on what they want him to bring when he returns to Florida in about three weeks with a bigger sack of surprises.

This year in Flagler Beach, Florida, Santa parachuted to the beach and rode a firetruck into town while being protected from the evil Grinch by police on horseback and cops with machine guns.  A marching band heralded his coming with "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" while his helpers tossed candy canes and chocolate bars to the children. One of the most enthusiastic trumpeters was our granddaughter.

 By the way, a little birdie told me that Santa will find lots of sweet boys and girls in Florida awaiting his wonderful Christmas surprises!

Thanksgiving Report 2018

Half our family, 26 people, were here to celebrate Thanksgiving. However, between having fun with the grandkids and fixing and eating tons of food (8 pies, turkey and dressing, lots of heavenly rolls, 8 side dishes, frog-eye and fruit salad, and our Thompson traditional shrimp cocktail appetizer) we forgot to take pictures, except for these of the grandkids riding horses and playing video games and soccer. Don't forget to click on the pictures for a closer look.

 After a great ride on Ginger, David thinks he might follow the rodeo circuit to earn money for college. His Mom doesn't think so!

 Benji thinks swinging on a tractor is more for him.

 Four can play at a time on this game.

 You might think that the boys vs girls soccer match would favor the much larger boys--but the girls won.

Oregon Trail vs Dixie Auto Trail?

 One requirement for the Boy Scout  Citizenship in the Nation merit badge is to visit a place listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. You might not think of a highway as an historic place, but
at the beginning of the last century with automobiles becoming more common, the US needed cross country roads that were easier to travel on than the Oregon Trail and other pioneer trails developed for covered wagons and stage coaches. The solution was to create cross country "Auto Trails."

In 1913 the Lincoln Highway was the first paved auto trail from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco joining the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.  Interstate 80 now closely follows that route. But what about north/south auto trails?

It just happens that the first of the north/south auto trails passes right through Flagler County--the Dixie Highway from Detroit to Miami built in 1916. Most of it now is Interstate 75 and 95, but a stretch of the original brick road still exists hidden in the backwoods of Flagler County from Espanola to Hastings Florida, easy for Boy Scouts to travel on if they know where to look.

Here's a look at the Old Brick Road or Old Dixie Highway today. You can see why Auto Trail may be a more appropriate name for this one lane highway. This is the longest stretch that hasn't been paved over as it was upgraded for new highways. However the name "Dixie Highway" is still used for several stretches of the replacement roads from South Florida to Michigan. If you look closely, you can see that the bricks for this stretch were imported from Alabama several hundred miles away.

 To find out more google "Dixie Highway" and "Lincoln Highway"

Danny Zuko meets the Piano Man?

Two grandsons are budding performers. They might choose the showbiz route to becoming famous neurosurgeons and mathematicians.

A New Halloween Treat?

How is this as an alternative to candy for Halloween Trick or Treating? Our papayas have started to ripen just in time for Halloween! We have 50 ripening away on one tree. They are delicious and we'll probably have them eaten by Thanksgiving. The color matches the orange of Halloween Jack O' Lanterns and Thanksgiving pumpkin pie so why not make them a Florida contribution for both holidays!! Papaya smoothie anyone?