Friends, Family, and March Madness

March was full of "March Madness" and we had lots going on with four couples from last falls beet harvest visiting us in Brooksville. It was great to see them all and recall piling beet stories without too much embellishment. So good to see them and spend quality time together. Jo's sister, Marilyn and husband Tim, were able to spend spring break in warmer weather. They had to contemplate their picks for the March NCAA basketball tournament. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day and of course Tim had to "wear the green". We crossed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on our return from Punta Gorda and enjoyed the warm breeze off the water. The spring flowers are in full bloom with the paint brush tree loaded with flowers. We hated to see Tim and Marilyn leave as we knew they would be heading back to see more snow in Iowa. We are all looking forward to spring.

Our Winter Home in Florida

We have purchased a mobile home in a 55+ community, Clover Leaf Farms, in Brooksville, Florida. We are not only enjoying the warm winter weather but the community also. Can't quite figure out how to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeder. Seems the cardinal can't either. Moving into the house required a few projects to be done to update the unit. Glad we had beet piler friends visiting and they offered their help to get the project completed. The home is very comfortable and fits our needs. The community has two recreation rooms, two pools, a sauna and hot tub, a library, fitness center, two fishing lakes, and a laundromat with a farmers market each week. If you happen to be in the area, please stop and visit for a while. We have an extra bedroom and there is a campground, Clover Leaf Forest, next door. We always look forward to family and friends visiting us to escape the cold winters up north.

Pool, Piling Pals, Perigee, Pedigree, and Pedicure

Pool - It was time to replace the pool liner so the day was spent removing the old liner and the new liner was installed. What a nice change and look.









Piling Pals - Ron and Corinne, who we met in northwest Minnesota at the beet piling site where we all worked last fall, stopped to visit us on their way traveling south in Florida. We had a great time visiting with them, meeting the horses, sharing beet piling stories and going to Springhill for the weekly car show.









Perigee - On the 10th of January the moon had its closest approach to earth in 15 years and the nearest it will be until 2016. The moon was 30% brighter and 14% wider than the run of the mill full moon.






Pedigree - Brooksville hosted the annual pilgrimage of people and their show dogs from all over the world to compete in what is considered the largest dog show in Florida. It's the annual Florida Winter Classic Cluster Dog Show which we found very interesting. It was fun to see the many different breeds of dogs, especially the Schipperke, which we had on the farm when we were kids.






































Pedicure - Larry the farrier arrived to update the shoes of the horses. They all behave so well to have their old shoes removed, their hooves trimmed and the new shoes fitted.







It has been a busy January. The winter has been colder than normal. Still warmer than what is happening back home in Iowa.

Sailing the Gulf Waters

Warm and sunny breezes drew us to the Gulf to enjoy a day of sailing. With a light breeze it was a good day to learn from Captain Tom and first-mate Denise to teach us some of the ropes of sailing. We had a wonderful day hoisting the jib, setting the main sail, and hearing only the gurgling of the water from the catamaran moving smoothly on the water at 5 knots. We barbequed hot dogs, had pickled asparagus, grillin' beans and some new Jell-O rice pudding with cinnamon. What a treat and of course a favorite of ours. On our return to the canal and the cottage to dock, we met the shrimpers heading into the Gulf to harvest their catch. We look forward to our next sailing experience. Maybe a few days on the water.