Holy Snow !!!

WOW !!!    We are used to getting Snow Storms, Blizzards,  usually in February and March,  however we usually don't get hammered for several days.
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   We started getting this storm "Stella" last night, it has snowed and snowed and still coming down.  
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Above we were standing on the Lake Okeechobee Look out down near Lakeport !
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Maybe we should have stayed longer in Myrtle Beach of Florida !!!
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There is lots of accidents, this was coming into Carthage, there is now a No Travel Advisory posted.  
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They have now banned all Tractor Trailers off the Interstates and Thruway as the winds and white outs are really bad.
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This is outside our Window about 25 feet away, White Outs blow in and you cannot see anything except white snow, like staring into the center of a white sheet.
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We normally do not have frequent Cardinals visit our Bird Feeder, right now today we have several pairs flying in and out along with lots of other Birds feeding !
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 A Cardinal and a Gold Finch are feeding like they are starving !!
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The Female Cardinal is also hungry !
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A Rare picture of a male and female Cardinal feeding together, usually 1 eats and 1 stands guard.
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My little Honey caught me off guard, Watching it Snow and watching the Birds made me tired !!!!!!!!
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Right now it is snowing and Blowing, everything is cancelled for tonight and there is also some costal flooding planned with the mid winter winds coming in !
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We are tucked in nice and warm and are not planning on leaving the house tomorrow either.
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DON'T FORGET TO HONOR OUR VETS !

Enjoying Ourselves!!!!!!!

  5 years ago we attempted to get to Florida to spend some time away from the cold,  We left Carthage and in 6 hours were in Clarks Summit, PA just off I-81where we stopped for the night, during the night I didn't feel good, My Darling wife had the good sense to pack us up and head for home.  She was a Trooper and drove us straight home.  I went directly to the Hospital with 2- 95% Blockages in the Heart which they fixed with surgery.
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It seemed that every time we tried to get south for the next 5 years I  or My Honey had a Health Issue.
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This year we went for our January check-ups at the Doctors and said, "Let's go for it", and we headed out for a trip south, we were only going to Myrtle Beach But in South Carolina we changed our minds and went to Florida and we really are enjoying it.  
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WE MADE IT DOWN !!
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We made it to Lake Okeechobee!!!!!!!
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 'My first fish in Florida in many years !!!!
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Anna Mae with her First Fish in Florida , !!!!!
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Catching and eating "Fresh Specs", (Crappies) !!!!!!
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 I am enjoying the sunshine, warmth and relaxing, long time coming !!!
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Relaxing in the Sunshine !!!
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Anna Mae and her Mother, Irene, Irene is 83 and in pretty good health.   Florida agrees with her, she moved down there 12 years ago.   
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 My 70th Birthday Dinner in Port St. Lucie, Florida. wanted it to be in the Florida Keys but the budget didn't cover that this time !!!  But I was with my most precious Birthday Present, My Honey !!!
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Outside enjoying my Birthday !!  Patiently waiting by a Hog Run !!
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Waiting for it to come my way!
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Success!!!!!
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I enjoyed my Visit to Florida with my Honey, enjoyed my 70th Birthday!!    I am now 7 Decades old, Who would have ever thought they would be 70 years Old when they were in their teenager years !   Well I intend to make the most of these next 20+ years or more and enjoy life, my Beautiful Wonderful Wife and "LIFE" !!!!!
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Never Forget our Veterans!!!!!!!!!
  

Rodeo Concert

Getting rested up and enjoying the sunshine and temps up in the 80's and not 12 BELOW ZERO!!!
Enjoying Florida.
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Last night we went to listen to Merle Haggard's 2 sons and his band "The Strangers". We went to the Seminole Indian Reservation  in Brighton and was let in early when I showed my Police ID and had front row seats.
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These 2 young men sound just like their Daddy, Merle Haggard,   they are Ben and Noel Haggard.  what a show they put on !
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Above is Noel Haggard !
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Above is Ben Haggard !!
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After the Concert we wandered around the Rodeo Grounds, bought our tickets for Saturday and Sunday for the Rodeo, saw it 5 years ago when we were here.
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I want one of these to take North to use in the SNOW, this is one of the "Mud Buggies" they use to hunt "Hogs" with. it was very loud but very easy to drive as it had an automatic transmission !!
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Met a lot of Veterans here at the Show,  Enjoyed it with my honey !!
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Don't forget our vets !

FLORIDA

Well, we made it to Florida, it was a rough trip down, 1,850 miles, we almost turned around in Virginia and went home but we pushed it a little more and spent a couple extra days on the road but we are here.
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We followed many "Salt Trucks" down I-81 all the way down to Virginia and had snow scattered about all the way to Virginia!
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Finally, we are at Lake Okeechobee having lunch and relaxing !
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Enjoying the opportunity to put on Shorts and relax where it is warm, 81 degrees.
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We shed the long pants and heavy socks in Georgia!!!
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I am in my Glory, Fishing, got a Yarmouth right behind the house.
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My Honey had to match me catching one a little bigger than mine.
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 I got serious and finally hit some nice specs!!!
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Enjoying our time staying with Anna Mae's Mother in Lake Okeechobee, don't know how long we will be here but loving it every day.
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Don't Forget, Remember the Vet!!!
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Ice Storm

Well, we don't have much Snow but we do have some Ice !!! We got some rain and temps were about 33 & 29 so things got slippery, Power lines came down and lots of fender benders !!
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Bird feeders were busy for the smaller birds who could fit between the Ice Bars !!
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The Trees had about 1/4 to 3/8ths inch of ice !!
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The Ice covered the building and made for some pretty sparkling if not cold views !!
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Hopefully this will turn to Snow soon !!

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Don't forget our Veterans !!

 

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90th Birthday Party

Living here at west side Terrace we have a custom of celebrating the 90th Birthday of Residents every year, we had 2 this January we celebrated today with family friends and neighbors.
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Dave Brown and Clara Shettelton turned 90. we celebrated with cake and Ice Creme and Coffee,
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Dave is a WWII Navy Veteran,  retired Captain from the Fort Drum Fire Department and was also a Barber which is what he did in the Navy !   His family was able to travel in from all over to be here today to help celebrate.
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Clara Shettleton is a widow, she has 2 sons who gave her a Party last week taking her out to dinner but were unable to be here today, Clara has lot her hearing in both ears and her hearing aides do not work very good but if you yell enlough she can understand.
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We served Cake and Ice Creme but some folks bought Fruit Arrangements which My Honey passed out while I dished out the Cake.
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We had 47 guests, residents and family members gathered today for the Birthday Party.
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 Everyone enjoyed themselves at the Party.

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. Dave reading a note from over a Dozen Navy Veterans who live around the area wishing him a Happy 90th Birthday and many more,  Dave and I go to American Legion Meetings together, I help carry his Oxygen machine.
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All in all we had a great Day !
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Don't forget our Vets like Dave !!!     GO NAVY !!!

Winter Bird Watching !

WOW , its been a month since I last posted, The time sure flies when your having fun  SO, what have we been doing for the past month, well, Doctors Appointments, Several Stress Tests, Blood work and a Nuclear Chemical Stress.
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I have and continue to have Chest Pain and discomfort and not wanting to have a real problem told my Cardiologist and we went thru the whole regime of checking it out !  Some of the pictures came back OK and I am pleased even if the Doctor said there was not much more he could do, my Medications were tweaked and right now both My Honey and I are battling this "Bug" going around, coughing, hacking, watery eyes and sore throat.  We are both taking Amoxicillan 875 mg twice a day and hope this clears it up.
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There is more activity at the Bird feeders which is nice to help pass the day sitting here bundled up !
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The Nuthatch is active, up here we call them an Ass-up because they are always on the side of the trees with their head down and they usally feed upside down.
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We have 3 types of Woodpeckers, this is the Downy Wood Pecker at the Suet feeder.
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The Goldfinches are plentiful and we get dozens and dozens of them all day long !.
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The Blue Jay comes in and is very loud and drives the other birds away.
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The Cardinal comes very Early and very late to the feeder, It is common up here to say that when a Cardinal comes to your feeder it is the "Spirit of a Deceased relative or friend" visiting you!!
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The Female Cardinal is also a early and late feeder !
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It takes a lot of work to watch the feeder, My Honey helps a lot by going out and cleaning off the feeders and the Maintenance Man snow blows out a path to it so we can get to it,
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The pictures are clearer because I removed the screen that covered the windows, there are not very many Black Flies or Mosquitoes around right now!!
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Don't Forget our Veterans !!!!!!