Tutorial Tuesday Family Issue

Good morning all. I apologize for the break in my series and missing my blog yesterday. As some of you may know, my husband, Mike, hasn't been feeling well for several weeks. As a man he balked at going to the doctor and continued on his daily and weekly routine. We both felt it was a case of a cold or bronchitis and I pushed liquids and asked him to rest and try and kick this bug.

He couldn't sleep, he had a wheeze and he coughed constantly. Mike quit smoking over 2 years ago, but colds still set in easily, so there was a good case of bronchitis. But I still begged that he go to the doctor as he wasn't kicking it.



Mike is a 12 year veteran of the Navy. His primary care giver is the VA. If you are familiar with VA, they provide terrific medical care, but are not a source for urgent care. Especially here in Florida where they are over worked. So we chose an urgent care facility in Lecanto ran by the State of Florida.

Arriving early to avoid a long wait, he walked in from the parking lot, huffing and puffing from lack of breath. The receptionist was alerted immediately of his distress and asked of short of breath. When he responded yes, she ran the "Code Blue" alert and care came running from all over the facility. They administered oxygen, checked his blood pressure, sat him in a wheel chair and ran him immediately into a room. After an thorough exam, checking his vitals, listening to his heart and lungs, he was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. What? This was a cold! He had fluids in his lungs, around his heart, and throughout his body.



He was ordered to take a diuretic and potassium and to see his primary care provider. So he spent most of the day yesterday attempting to get an appointment with VA within the week. We are awaiting a call for an appointment, but they assure us they will call us back today.

Today, I will do some more research on CHF and determine what roll I can play to help him in his road to recovery and a long life. I know a revised diet will be the top priority and once he gets the go ahead, exercise. I know that will be the big battle. He hates to walk and hates exercise, so perhaps I may have to tie him to the bumper of the car, but I will get him out on his bike or something. He is my soul mate and I don't want to lose him.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and I will talk to you soon.

Festive Friday

Today is Festive Friday, but unfortunately, I am not feeling festive. Must have got a bug and am a little under the weather. So today I am sharing a collage of people, places and things.

Ducks taking a stroll along the channel at Homosassa, Florida.
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An Osprey perched on it's nest high in the air. These are federally protected birds and you can see their nests all over the state high in the air

A picture of my sis, down keeping me company while my hubby is off on the road.

An early picture of the two of us in our yard standing in front of a large group of black-eyed susans.









Hopefully if I feel better, my Hubby will be home and we can have a nice evening out at this quaint place called the Freezer in Homosassa.

I hope you enjoyed these photos and I hope to see you back here on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Thrifting Thursday

Thursday is thrift day. This week I am going to share Cowboy Junction flea market in Lecanto, Fl. It is held on Tuesdays in a big open field. People begin sitting up on Monday evenings as the key to a great find is getting there early. On a good Tuesday there will be over 200 vendors selling their wares, both new and old. I like this market because most of the vendors sell rare old finds, and if you dig deep, you can find just the thing you are looking for.

The flea market was started by Buddy Max over 20 years ago and for many years was ran by he and his wife Freda. As well as the flea market, there was a regular jam session and country music show on Saturdays. Most weeks it was standing room only as a good time was to be had by all. The music is no more but he flea market lives on.

This day was a long one; many vendors up and down long dusty aisles. It takes a toll, but well worth it. I found this great assortment of items, some to sell, and others for me. The clock is for my hubby, so he can get up when on the road in the truck. This will hopefully end me setting my alarm for 4 a.m. and calling him to get him up. Well worth that investment.

The mixing bowl is from the 50's. My mother had the old stand mixer this bowl came with. It was a work horse, all the attachments including a meat grinder on the top. She mixed a lot of stuff in that bowl, but the thing I remember most was the old style cool whip. It came in powder form in a package and you added really cold milk and whipped up a topping delight. I can remember whipping up a package just to snack on.

The sewing machine tin will be used for 'my' sewing machine items. I currently use a plastic glad container, but thought this would add a charm to my basket. And who could resist the rooster cookie cutter. I will add this to more cookie cutters I have accumulated and sell them on Etsy as a collection.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the trip to Cowboy Junction Flea Market. If you are ever down this way between October and March, be sure to visit. Just a few miles west of Crystal River, Florida on Hwy 44. You will not be disappointed; if you get there early.

Wandering Wednesday - Apalachicola Seafood Festival

Today's trip is to the Apalachicola Seafood Festival in the panhandle of Florida. Held each year in the fall, this quaint town welcomes thousands for seafood, entertainment and arts and crafts.

What a beautiful trip along the coastline and into this quaint town. The beautiful beaches and white sand with sea oats. New homes with a sprinkling of period cracker houses. Just breath taking.

Apalachicola is known for it's fresh seafood, mainly oysters. As we approached the town we could see the gulf and could not help take the bridge over the water to watch the fisherman use crude rake like tools to bring the oysters up from the bottom of the water. Another person was sorting and bagging for the market.

There are many seafood outlets in the area, but the main market are the local restaurants. Our favorite is Boss Oysters. Several years ago, we stumbled across this rustic restaurant. Patrons without fortitude would have turned back as we walked into an old building with an slanting floor and a very dark environment. We asked to sit outside, and was taken to a primitive screen porch where we could see the fisherman rinsing the oysters as they were taken off of the boat. Well, that was years ago, and before the terrible hurricanes. This time we were welcomed to a remodeled restaurant with a great bright decor. The bar had remained the same so the original charm hadn't been lost. And our dinner; we had the best oyster stew and I enjoyed fried oysters while my husband had fresh prawns. Mmmmmm.

As we walked back to our motor home, we were drawn to the sound of music coming from the large wrap around porch of the local hotel. An entertainer was playing piano and singing easy tunes. A perfect ending to a delicious dinner and quiet evening with Mike.

Our show was successful and we met many people. Some came in from other areas to enjoy the festival, and the locals enjoyed themselves as well. The main entertainment was country music entertainer Tracy Lawrence. We enjoyed the music, even if we couldn't see him. A good time was had by all.

The people of this area are very warm and inviting and made us feel at home. I recommend you add this area to your list of places to visit. We hated leaving but we had to move on to another adventure and to make new friends.

Tutorial Tuesday

I wanted to share a little history on a common decorator item that many of you may have in your home; the courting candle. The courting candle was designed and used by many an anxious father when the young daughter became of the age to attract suitors.

These candle holders were very primitive and most times made by the father or family member. They were designed to hold just one candle with a wooden base that could be turned to lift the candle up through the cork screw style of the base.

History tells us that during those days of visits by a suitor or courting visits, the father would place a candle in the holder and light the wick. Then the candle would be cranked up to a level that the father felt comfortable with. The more he liked the suitor, the higher; the less, the lower. When the flame would burn to the level of the metal it was time for the suitor to leave.

With candle light used for lighting in those days, it was the perfect item to sit in the parlour or sitting room for the two to visit. But it was never too far for the father to keep an eye. It has been told that when the father didn't like the suitor or felt it was going to far, it was common for him to blow out the flame completely sending a clear message to the suitor to leave.

Today we use this primitive candle holder for a decorative item in our homes. It is kept close in case of a power outage, and lends a certain charm to our place of comfort. The next time you light this candle, try and remember the significance this item had in years gone by.

Monday, Monday Swamp Buggy Races

Wow, what a weekend this was. I assisted another vendor who was short on help at an event called "Swamp buggy races" in Collier County, Fl. It was quite the happening place. I was amazed at the crowd it drew and the diversity.

I met a family from Denmark, two couples from England, several from Canada and even a chap from Australia. All to see a group of good ole boys (and girls) race around a circle in the mud. Time trials were held on Saturday with the final heats and winners trophies presented on Sunday.

The highlight of this event for me was the Swamp Buggy Queen being taken out in the mud on a buggy and dumped in the water. A beautiful girl in a beautiful gown dunked in the mud. Now you would really want to be queen to go through this tradition.




The theme of the day seemed to be mud and racing though there was plenty of food to be eaten and merchandise to be purchased. Here is a picture of my new version of my "Redneck Windchimes" designed for the south. Cowboy hats, camouflage, beer and the rebel confederate flag were high on the list too. I wouldn't want to be the one to tell this group of guys the south lost.

Hope you enjoyed sharing this weekend adventure with me. When you meet this type of crowd, so friendly and down to earth, it really doesn't seem like work at all. Talk to you tomorrow.

Every day has a reason

Well, after many weeks of soul searching I have finalized my blog series. I wanted to make each day be specific to a subject matter and was truly stumped for a while. But last night after spending some time working on my Etsy account, and reviewing my many pictures I have taken over the months, it came to me.

So from this point on my blog will feature the following:

Monday, Monday, a recap and regroup from my weekend as well as new items I have designed.
Tutorial Tuesday, I will tackle some sort of "how to" from cooking to crafting and household tips.
Wandering Wednesday, Here I will share my travels, my motorhome life, pictures of events and interesting people I have met along the way.
Thrifting Thursday, I have been doing these segments all along, and I will continue to share my flea market and thrift store finds.
Festive Friday, A celebration of life, family stories, plans for the weekend, shows I will be attending. Everything else thrown into a basket!

Be sure to follow my blog and I am confident you will find many articles of interest. If there is a particular story or issue you are interested in and if I can't share a story, I have a host of friends and family that I am confident would be happy to "guest write" for you. So your feedback is encouraged.

These features will begin on Monday March 8, and run everyday. I am helping a fellow vendor out this weekend at a swamp buggy race, so that should be worth a thousand words and pictures.

Until we meet again!