Harley's birthday, (he is two paws old now) just wore him out yesterday. He collapsed in his favorite spot on his blankie. This prime location fit him well as a puppy, but he has grown to an astonishing six-and-a-half pounds! He is wedged on top of the back of the dining settee which is behind the driver's seat. His blankie is draped over the back of the driver's seat headrest and the settee's back cushion. I moved the driver's seat to an upright position, which leaves a little gap where his blankie dips down. This gives him a little more room to squeeze into his treasured spot. Normally he likes to patrol from this location, as it commands him a wide view out windows on all sides. But the poor little fellow was just wore out.
Last week I was driving back from Leesburg Florida down highway 441 south. The weather was pleasant, I had my windows down, enjoying the fresh air in spite of the holiday traffic pollution. I heard a loud roar coming up along side me. I just had to grab my camera for a drive-by shooting.
This is the ham and pineapple I baked for our Christmas Birthday dinner with the other workampers.
I just love garlic bread, but had no bread on hand. Oh wait. I had parbaked pizza crust on hand. These were on sale two for a dollar, so I bought a small stack of them, as the "use by date' was far off and I do love pizza now and then.
Anyhow, I sliced up the pizza dough into 8 wedges, then stir fried them in a pan with olive oil and garlic, then arranged them on a plate. This gave diners a choice of crispy or not so crispy garlic bread.
I also made baked beans in the crockpot and red skin potato salad with red, green and yellow bell peppers. I tossed up some fresh cooked baby carrots with honey,butter, ginger and cinnamon. The other cook brought this heavenly seafood dish with aromatic creamy rice plus sausage baked en croute for hors s'oeuvres and an awesome homemade cheesecake. We had a mountain of food for Christmas! We are all so blessed. I feel so very lucky.
This is the gazebo about 10 minutes before the guests arrived. The computer is set up, playing endless assorted Christmas tunes with a continuous roaring fireplace on the screen. The guests laughed that I built an electronic fire for Christmas! Some of the Christmas tunes were from the Caribbean, which gave them a giggle too. Now they are all singing "Santa Claus got a sunburn..."
The white curtain, is attached to the gazebo frame with spring clamps. Sometimes the sun is so intense, it is blinding, so I can move the curtain and spring clamps to block the direct sun. It's actually a thin blanket, but it's thick enough to block the sun but still let the light through. Everything in my little old RV has to do double and triple duty to be useful. Luckily the blanket is just the right length not to drag on the ground. The patio mat looks like a real rug but it's really made of polypropylene. It's woven so that is is breathable and doesn't kill the grass underneath, hence mine is a tad lumpy. I've been using my patio mat for nearly 2 years now. It is still in great shape. It's a reversible pattern too. Mine is 9x12 feet.
The screaming red chair is my Santa Claus chair. Angels gave me some cash gifties. When this Sunbrella recliner chair was reduced to less than half price, I bought it as my gift. I am very lucky! The last two Decembers, I was in such dire straights, that cash gifts went for bare necessities such as food. This year, I had all my needs met, so I splurged on a chair since 3 of mine are falling apart. The other chairs in the picture were mostly borrowed. I feel oh so naughty! It's high backed with 4 recliner positions and a pillow that attaches by velcro. Underneath it is a little tray table that slides in and out. The box arrived just before Christmas. It is very comfortable. (The chair, not the box.) The high back gives excellent back support. It reclines so nicely, that the day it arrived, I reclined in it, then fell asleep with Harley in my lap.
Maybe I spent my gifties too soon, because just this morning, my tooth broke off and fell out, much to my horror. Today seems to be a national holiday, so no chance of finding a dentist. I hate to price compare, but I have no choice. Last year I saw a dentist in Orlando that I liked a lot. He was extremely reasonable, I hope he still is. But I have a medical appointment in Melbourne tomorrow for something else. So my medical care is being spread out far and wide.
Last week a friend came to visit. She gave me a Christmas gift of a huge bottle of rum with an equally huge bottle of pina colada mix. I rarely drink, wondering what I would do with this huge bottle of rum. So I put it out for Christmas. A few had drinks. One lady said she just wanted the coconut, so I made her a drink with just ice and the pina colada mix which is coconut and pineapple. I didn't put any rum in it, because I thought she was a non-drinker.
About a half hour later, she said she was tired, that rum was making her very drunk! I tried to explain there was no rum in her drink but she claimed to be drunk. Since her husband had seen me make the drink, he could verify her drink was a virgin. We had a good laugh and offered her some real rum. She scrutinized the pina colada mix to verify there was no rum in it.
Harley and the other puppy played nearby on their tethers with the outdoor doggy toys. They were such good little doggies, they each had their share of ham plus bacon dog treats too. Harley was thrilled to have his buddies around him on his birthday. It was way too warm for him to wear his new coat, but I am sure he will get to prance around in it plenty, come January. He and the other dog play wrestled, then play fought over the toys, then they dug a hole and play fought over who ruled the hole. They kept us laughing while we stuffed our faces with all the great food.
Harley was hooked to his tether with his new bungee cord he got for his birthday a day early. He entertained us by running full speed ahead until he reached the end of his long tether, causing him to do a back flip! Now that he realizes he has a bungee cord again, he is doing his best to wear it out by bungee jumping and back flipping.
Silly dog!
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