Making My Home A Haven is important to me. Sharing homemaking skills. Recipes and food. Bible Studies. This is a treasure chest of goodies. So take a seat. Have a glass of tea and enjoy. You will learn all about who I am.
December 2019
Danny and I picked up lunch at The Black Eyed Pea in Dade City. Then headed to the Historical Museum. 3 trains so far.We got to see the inside of the museum. It’s closed but they showed us anyway.We also found out : They are the ones who BOUGHT THE LAKE WALES HO TRAIN SET. Not sure about the scale set.THE one Danny and I were part of.I inventoried everything.More in another post.
Railfanning in Mulberry And Bradley Junction, Florida
It was an interesting week filled with highs and extreme lows. I knew before we left that it PROBABLY would NOT be a good idea to STAY IN A MOTEL instead of an AirBNB. We needed more SPACE. I NEEDED MORE SPACE
The motel was nice and would have fit most people’s needs. The room was average as far as size. It would have been better if I had stuck to MY PLAN and KEPT the KING SIZE ROOM with a sofa and table.
Danny sat at the only DESK/Table and blocked my going to and from the bathroom.
The bests were very comfortable. And Oh the pillows. 4 each.After keeping me up ALL night until 2-5 AM , Danny always took a NAP after we got back to the motel. It was my quiet time.We really needed to computer spaces.
My view from the corner. My bed was my table.I was very glad I brought my Video player. I watched a lot of videos.Watching a train go by from our window. It’s WHY I let Danny talk me out of the BIGGER ROOM.We saw anywhere between 2 and 5 trains each day JUST FROM OUR WINDOW.
If it wouldn’t have been for Danny drinking A LOT EVERY NIGHT and THE HUGE FIGHTS WE HAD, I would have enjoying the motel .
I couldn’t handle his staying UP ALL NIGHT. I had nowhere to go.
The rest of the trip was AWESOME.
Watching Trains At Bradley JunctionDanny has 2 TRIPODS. One for his PHONE. One FOR HIS NEW CAMCORDER. I had three. My DSLR. My smaller Canon and a Vlogging Camera. I haven’t begun to record anything yet. Plus I took videos and photos with my phone. I haven’t done anything with any of mine yet.I could be wrong but I believe these 2 engines were fairly NEW EMD’s. There’s another name for them. A numeral name.Before I got too much sun. I wear sunscreen 24/7. So I never burned but I was out in it too long. The rest of the time I sat in the car. At 80 degrees -to 86, that is way too hot. T Shirt : Danny Holt On YouTube.
I ADMIT : I enjoy trying out new cafes and eating out or as the case may be….Ordering From DOOR DASH and Eating IN. We don’t have delivery near us. I didn’t share the photos from Carol’s Cafe. We ate there our first day.
More on Carol’s later.
I ate my way through MOVIE TIME.
It’s a good thing I don’t eat like this very often.
Watching Victoria. Season 1Chalupa From Taco Bell. Left Overs from Another Mexican Restaurant And Shrimp.Taco Bell/ Long John Silver
Seafood And FIsh Dinner with FRIES And A Chalupa. Didn’t eat much there so I took it to the motel.Seafood And Fish. Even the fries were yummy.Chinese AppetizersBean and RiceA Wonderful Taco Salad.Beef Tongue TACOS. Oh YEAH.Thanks to DOOR DASH We got great delivery from all over. OutbackI was in Heaven. Rare tuna. Their famous Onion Rings. My mind went blank as to the name. LOL Fried MushroomsOutback SteakhouseBloomin Onions.Fresh TUNATuna
Watching a Video of the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. A Christmas Gift from Danny.
Year Years Eve is always quiet on Rolling Meadows Ranch where we live.
It is USUALLY quiet at Lake Kissimmee State Park where Danny is a Park Ranger and I volunteer.
The View Out Of Our Back Door
The photo above was taken 2 weeks ago.
They were repairing DAY USE AREA.
Lake Kissimmee State Park.
Danny got home later than usual last night. The park closed at 6 PM . He didn’t get home until 7:10. It was a very quiet night after that. NO CALLS HERE.
Danny was the Ranger ON CALL.
Cheesecake. I finished the last of it NYE.The PHONE is a HUGE PROBLEM FOR ME. HIS. Not mine. He is always texting SOMEONE.Shrimp And Steak. Danny never had any of it.Seafood Corn Chowder. It was so good. Danny NEVER had any and he asked for it.I have been watching the entire Downton Abbey Series this past week.Christmas Day. In the car . Waiting for trains that never came and a PROMISE broken. We were suppose to stay at the house we rented and have quality time. Christmas Time.
Danny had 2 bites.
Family Time :Christmas Eve.
Almost always on the computer. Too busy to talk to me. At least we were in the same room.The view out our back door.Our Christmas PartyDAY USE AREA Zipprer Canal Re- building the rails. Before Christmas.Staff working frantically to finish before the weekend BEFORE CHRISTMAS.One of our Better Evenings the past few weeks. Still a huge concern for me. Worry. Anguish. Fear. Anger. Emotional. Danny was drinking. AGAIN.Snacks I fixed that Danny never ate.Oyster Stew. The Weekend BEFORE Christmas. Danny asked me to make it, then Never ate it.
Rolling Meadows Ranch Our Little Piece Of heaven on earth. Acreage : Almost 6,000 acres.Rolling Meadows Ranch Our Entrance and the beginning of our mile long dirt road. The fence needs painted.Almost HomeCollier Farm RoadWe have cows on all 4 sides at Rolling Meadows and Scrub Cows At Lake Kissimmee State Park.
Our backyard.
Our Yard
Seafood Corn Chowder
There were a few fireworks throughout the evening. It was QUIET AT MIDNIGHT.
I had an amazingly quiet and relaxing New Year’s Eve and a great beginning to 2020.
The stress was gone.
I honestly didn’t expect anything from the evening.
I was so disappointed with our Christmas Eve/Day on vacation that I decided early yesterday : NOT TO MAKE A FUSS FOR NEW YEARS EVE.
No Special Dinner Or Snacks.
We had a good dinner (We ate separately and at different times.) We had different meals.
Their were plenty of snacks all night but I just set them out.
No WORDS!
NO SARCASTIC COMMENTS!
It helped that the stress was virtually, gone. Danny is working late field this week and HAD NO WINE IN THE HOUSE. I refused to get any for him.
So no worries there.
All I asked Danny to to do was to give me his “UNDIVIDED ATTENTION” for 30 minutes last night. 15 minutes before Midnight to 15 minutes AFTER. NO TEXTING or BEING ON THE COMPUTER during that time.
I wasn’t really expecting it.
We both had a quiet night. Yes, he spent it in his computer room and I spent it in the kitchen. He did “HIS THING”and I did mine.
Except for those few moments when we had “FAMILY TIME”. The cat even got a special MIDNIGHT TREAT.
Danny surprised me at 11: 42 PM . Or thereabouts. He actually came INTO THE KITCHEN and SAT DOWN. NO PHONE IN HAND.
That alone was an accomplishment.
NO PHONE.
NO DISTRACTIONS!
OK, my phone went off….BUT Mine were family. Remembering how lonely I get at MIDNIGHT ON HOLIDAYS.
(Bobby use to call exactly at MIDNIGHT: if he wasn’t with me.)
I didn’t answer the calls or the texts til after Danny left.
I wasn’t lonely last night.
OK, I was but not as lonely.
Danny KISSED ME.
Really KISSED ME.
WITHOUT ASKING.
It had been MONTHS.
Well, he walked up to me and he asked me if I wanted to dance
He looked kinda nice and so I said I might take a chance
When he danced he held me tight
And when he walked me home that night
All the stars were shining bright
And then he kissed me
Each time I saw him I couldn’t wait to see him again
I wanted to let him know that he was more than a friend
I didn’t know just what to do
So I whispered I love you
He said that he loved me too
And then he kissed me
He kissed me in a way that I’ve never been kissed before
He kissed me in a way that I want to be kissed forevermore
I knew that he was mine so I gave him all the love that I had
And one day he took me home to meet his mom and his dad…
I didn’t even listen to AULD LANG SYNE until 12:20 AM It has to be Guy Lomardo’s version.
I really love this version though.
Auld Lang Syne Dougie MacLean version (With Lyrics and English Translation)
Should old acquaintance be forgot
…
And never brought to mind
Should all acquaintance be forgot
…
And auld lang syne
…
For auld lang syne, my dear
…
For auld lang syne
…
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
…
For auld lang syne
…
And surely you will buy your cup
And surely I’ll buy mine
…
And we’ll take a cup o’kindness yet
…
For auld lang syne
…
We too have run around the slopes
And picked the daisies fine
…
We’ve wondered many weary foot
…
Since auld lang syne
…
For auld lang syne, my dear
…
For auld lang syne
…
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
…
For auld lang syne
…
We too have paddled in the stream
…
From morning sun to night
…
But the seas between us broad have roared
…
From auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear
…
For auld lang syne
…
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
…
For auld lang syne
We’ll take a cup o’kindness yet
…
For auld lang syne
…
The Vitis Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in CentralFlorida. The line runs from Vitis (near Richland) to Lakeland for a total of 19.7 miles. The Vitis Subdivision serves as a connection between CSX’s two main lines in Florida, the A Line and the S Line. Its connection with the S Line (which is a detour of the original S Line) at the north end is known as Vitis Junction. The connection with the A Line at the south end is known as Lakeland Junction.[1][2]
The tracks that are today the Vitis Subdivision began operation in September 1885. They were built by the South Florida Railroad as part of their Pemberton Ferry branch (CSX’s detoured S Line from Vitis Junction north to Lacoochee is also part of the Pemberton Ferry branch). CSX’s A Line was originally the South Florida Railroad’s main line. The line was narrow gauge when originally built. It was fully converted to standard gauge on August 7, 1891.[3]
It’s been a busy afternoon for us. This is a continuation of a post I wrote a few hours ago. 2 almost back to trains.
Richland and /Vitus Junction
Another railway dropped by. Gave us some great information. Really good charts. Scanner information.At the same time, a mom stopped by….saying she has see us in various spots this week. She was curious. Gave her both our information.Will update.
Not wanting to get up and go anywhere. Earlier this morning. Danny was sleeping soundly. Maria , was in her apartment. I had the house to myself. I love those moments. Quiet thoughtful times.
From Sarah : All things must end sometime. I have most of our things packed and ready to take out to the car. We had breakfast at 8 AM. Photos haven’t uploaded to Google yet so I will share them later. We are back in our room relaxing. For once, even Danny isn’t ready to leave for home. He is on his computer. The phone is next to him. We will go down to the train Viewing Platform And then eat lunch before we head out. The weather turned chilly yesterday. Windy. Today it was 47 degrees out . Quite a change from 71 degrees on Sunday morning. Danny froze here last night. I admit, I got chilled. I just put on another layer of clothes. I am thriving. It feels wonderful not being hot for a change.
Maria gave us some sweet potato pie. I was wishing I had some whipped cream with mine. Monday night in the living room.Watching “The Good Wife and drinking hot chocolate.I made myself at home.My little area.
These were taken Saturday evening. Danny and I left our house around 10: 30 AM. Got gas and a few groceries and were on our way. It’s a fairly short drive. Lot’s of traffic for us country bumpkins.
It’s beginning to look like Christmas. We ordered from Sakura King. A Chinese/Japanese restaurant. Delivery.I ordered Lot’s of SUSHIThis should last us a few days. LOL
Looking into the smaller dining room from the larger one.Porch LightsOne end of the porch.Waiting for the train to come.So tired.Danny getting set up.I have some great footage on video.Christmas Started early. I bought myself 2 NEW N Scale Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. We have always been HO Scale fans but I wanted to run a smaller train under one of our Christmas Tree. Danny’s New HO Scale Coastliner. CSX. We are going to run trains Sunday night when we are in the Train Room. We had to spend our first night in our usual Theatre Room. It’s really too small for us. Especially with our computers etc. One plug in the room for our use. One in the bathroom.
I Am VERY THANKFUL that we were able to get- a -way this weekend. Needing prayers though. MY ATTITUDE NEEDS ADJUSTED! I am still fighting the anger of betrayal and can’t seem to get past getting upset when things don’t go the way I believe they should. I hate it when he is texting (other RAIL FANS) ALL DAY LONG WHILE I AM WITH HIM. A few here and there would be ok. I just don’t believe in being online with someone when your spouse/love one/friend IS SITTING right next to you.
Photo Shared From Good Morning Girls In The Word on Facebook.
From Sarah: This post was written on a Saturday. Hopefully, most of you are off work and home with the family. or exploring somewhere with your loved ones. Making Your Home A Haven takes advantage of weekends off and family times together. Did any of you sleep in? How about a special family breakfast. I know it’s freezing in many parts of the US. Are you relaxing by the fireplace or did you get out and brave the weather? Time for family togetherness no matter where you are and what you do. Take time this weekend to enjoy each other. Family time is so important. What are you THANKFUL for?
It’s a wonderful day here in Florida. 69 degrees inside our house right now. I am loving the cooler temps. The sun is shining (A little). At this point, I will take what I can get. It’s been gloomy all week. We never got any of the rain that we so badly need. Yet, I am Very Thankful for the cooler weather.I know I sound like a broken record but SUMMER started in January (Without the extreme humidity) and only ended a few days ago. Not really sure if it has really ended but I will take whatever this is. Danny is working in the Ranger Station so he will be home earlier today. The furnace will be turned back on. I am THANKFUL for my moods starting to change for the better. Or at least the way I handle things. (Most of the time). A Small VENT: It still makes me angry that Danny doesn’t realize that as cold as he always gets, I am just as hot . I really try to make sure he is comfortable and not freezing. I just wish he would try and understand that when he gets cold when it is 74 -76 in the house ( with a DAMP Chill in the air) that I am hot. Or at least not cool. I like it when it’s 65- 68 in here. I can even handle it colder than that when I put on more clothes. I can’t take off more. Danny can put on more clothes. He can wear SOCKS in the house. He has socks made for those with poor circulation. He won’t wear them. He won’t wear layers. I AM THANKFUL we have windows ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE. So when the furnace is on, I have a window open. My fan is usually running as well. I AM THANKFUL FOR: Most of the time , I can keep my mouth shut. Not even making facial gestures. Or at least trying not to make them. I am even turning the furnace on before he comes home. Granted, right before I think he’s due. Still working on NOT GRIMACING every time he calls me into his computer room. It’s been an effort. He won’t come out to me. His room his fill with junk. He calls me wanting to show me something…. His space heater is on. So is the furnace. THE ROOM IS ABOUT 80 degrees. If not worse. It’s a blast of heat when I go in there.
It’s PARTLY SUNNY/ partly cloudy here on Rolling Meadows Ranch. I will gladly take the sun.
I AM Thankful FOR : The brief time I get with Danny when he gets home from the park. We have family time in the kitchen. I do my best to make the most of it. Snacks if he’s hungry. Iced tea waiting for him. Baby Girls gets a treat. So does Vittles (the rabbit). We talk about his day at Lake Kissimmee. Usually, I am already aware of what’s been going on. The radio keeps me informed.
My working table . It gets cleared off when Danny comes home. Or when he comes in to talk. I put everything on the couch til he leaves. For brief moments when he comes in to get a drink or whatever, I usually stop what I am doing, turn the volume off if I am watching something. and engage in conversation with him. It’s important to me that he always knows I am there for him.
Occasionally, If I am watching a live broadcast, I will still pause it and let him know what I am doing. I ask him if he needs anything.
I AM THANKFUL FOR : Park life is busy right now. A new season has started. Danny’s been extremely busy in the Ranger Station today. He’s sent a few texts to me but not many. You can hear a lot going on when the radio is on. People driving up. The back door opening and closing . Guest talking. Fortunately, he didn’t need my extra help this morning. I enjoyed a long walk around Rolling Meadows Ranch. I am thriving now. Our winter season has started. Our “Yankee” ( I can say Yankee anytime because I am a Yankee myself.Lol) campground hosts and volunteers are starting to show up. Weekends are BUSY and the weekdays are getting there. Over all, I love this time of year at the park. It’s exciting and fun. Busy just enjoyable.
As soon as it starts getting dark, I turn on my night lights and a few soft lamps. I love seeing the candle burning. The glow is wonderful. I love the nights. I always have, I am anxious to start walking at night again. Not far. Hoping Danny and I can start having bonfires again. It’s been way too long.
Our Old Sunset SpotA favorite pic from our RV. Memories.
Memories Of Quiet Nights In The RV. I do miss it. Baby Girl wants some attention. I need to get a few things done before Danny gets off in an hour or so. Have a wonderful Saturday evening. Love And Hugs, Sarah
