Warmer Weather

I know I shouldn't complain about weather because I get pictures from Cleveland showing a foot of snow and huge ice chunks hanging from windows and trees.  We have had a ton of rain this year so far and it has been unusually cold.   But all of that is changing and we are starting to enjoy warmer weather again.  It was 79 degrees yesterday and again today.  We went to the beach yesterday and it was wonderful.  There were dozens of people out, many with dogs.   We didn't take Dixie with us, she isn't a beach kind of dog.  She tends to stay under our chairs and watch the water instead of playing in it.  

So we had our wine and cheese and watched sky divers land on the beach, dogs parading by, kids face planting in the sand and lots of women who should have worn suits that covered more!

We have been social butterflies of late.  We got our first Covid shot February 20 and go back for the second on March 13.  We went out for Tony's birthday to Joseph's, a favorite Italian restaurant, we had Donna and Bob over for a last dinner on Friday since they are going back to Cleveland on Monday and yesterday we went to the Palm Pointe Social, our neighborhood get together.  We always have a good time there, meeting new people and hearing about what everyone is doing. 

Our newest baby will be born sometime in March and we are getting more and more excited.  I can't wait to go to Florida to see Alex and the new baby.  Oh, I guess David and Brenda will be there too!!

I am still working with Cape Fear Voices and enjoying the creative outlet it gives me.  They are having a writer's award dinner in April and I have been nominated in three categories for best story.  Stay tuned for the results!

So, that's our story.  Busy, but enjoying things.  Hopefully, I'll be posting pictures of the new baby soon.

Here are some beach pictures:

If you look real close, you'll see an orange dot

near the two clouds in the middle of the page.

That's a sky diver!  

Tony checks out the water temperature

Lots of dogs enjoying the day!

I thought this was a hyena.  Turns out it was just a 

dog who loves the beach!

What a beautiful day.

Alex, Dixie and Brenda

Well, one thing you can say about Alex, Dixie and  Brenda is that they are all strong females!  

David sent us a video the other day showing Alex helping him put together a bookcase for her "apartment"  (her new room!)  There she was in Florida wearing just her unders with a drill in her little hand, applying the drill to a screw to join one section to another.   At 3 years old, she's helping to make furniture!!  OK, Daddy was there to lend a hand, but it was fun to hear her laugh because the drill was vibrating in her hand.  She did pretty well, telling Daddy once, "I need a little bit of help."  She was trying to put in the screw on the bottom of the bookcase and she turned the drill upside down.  Smart, I thought!

As far as Dixie is concerned, she and Tony had a tough time last night.  We were at Donna and Bob's condo in Sunset Beach watching the Super Bowl and Dixie had to go out.  Tony took her out front and it seemed like a long time before they came back.  It turns out that Dixie was mugged by two larger dogs--one on a leash and one who had flipped his lead.    Tony stepped in and picked her up during the fray and got roughed up a bit himself, but they both came through like troupers.  The owner was  extremely apologetic, but the larger dog just got away from him when the dog saw Dixie.   Dixie was a bit traumatized after the event.  After it was all over, she did a large poop.  We guessed that the dogs scared the shit right out of her!   She was quiet and hid the rest of the night.  Today she is fine.  When I took her out this morning, she wanted to go in the direction of where the dogs were last night.  It was like she was saying, "let me at 'em.  Now that I know how they roll, I can take them."  We didn't go that way!  Tony is fine--more worried about Dixie and his leather jacket than himself. 

And then, there is Brenda.  Strong, smart, beautiful, wise, Brenda.  She will give us (probably) our last grandbaby in March--just around the corner.  Tony and I don't know the sex of the baby.  I'm on the fence--both Brenda and David are such great "girl" parents, it would be nice to have another one.  And, we are "boy heavy" in terms of grandsons.  Still, it would be nice to have a Lakeland Swegle boy.  We'll just have to wait and see.  I know when the time comes, Brenda will have everything in good order at home and at work and then she will put her mind to giving us a beautiful new baby.  

So, there are the "women" that we love.  I can see Alex putting furniture together in her dorm room on Freshman move in day with her own drill and tools.  Dixie will not be fooled again by dogs she thinks are coming to play her and Brenda will, as always, be a wonderful mom, wife, attorney and person in general.  

We are lucky to have all of them in our lives.