Mon - Feb 12/18

Mid-80's F for the next week. Dry by Thursday with 30% chance of rain until then.

We have nothing specific on the agenda for today. Charlotte started by putting the finishing touches on the Quillow. She had to check to see if she had enough binding for the quilt she finished "Long Arming" last week.

I checked the e-Mail and banking online. Then it was time to tend to some routine things. The chances of needing the electric heater in the bedroom are very slim with the next week being 15 F above the norm. It was put away in the outside compartment.

The fireplace will remain upfront for now as I also use it as my printer stand. The "Fireplace Effect" (without heat) will still be relaxing as we watch TV.

I also did a little pre-prep for the RV. I checked the oil and added 1 liter. This is quite acceptable for an 8.1L GM V-8 motor that has over 82,000 miles of high speed (up to 85 mph in Texas) hauling of a motorhome and car. I topped up the windshield washer fluid then refilled the 1 L oil container that I had just emptied. I buy synthetic oil in the 5 L containers as this is much cheaper. I then keep a few "quarts" to refill as I use them. It is easier to fill using a quart (L) container because of the motor oil fill tube position.

Jim, from the London, ON region, stopped to chat. He is lucky enough to have a "Smart Car Fortwo (Diesel)". The diesel was never sold in the USA. It gets over 70 mpg. If Jim drives 15,000 km a year he will only have to fill it every 3.5 weeks. Now that's economy!

Charlotte finished the Quillow and moved on to the binding. After a bit she took a break. She likes to watch the start of "The View"!

We decide to go to Publix before the chance (30%) arrived mid-afternoon. To make it more of a ride I drove to the Publix in Mt. Dora instead of our much closer Publix in Eustis. This store is also much larger than our usual store.

There was a "Method to My Madness". Just across the road was "Harbor Freight". That was easier said than done. The road is the 6-lane US-441 meaning I had to go (East) to the next light, make a U-Turn and go back West, then turn into the Strip Mall that had Harbor Freight at the west end.

This store didn't open until last April so this is our first visit. It is large and well laid out and larger than the Apopka Harbor Freight we usually shopped at. This is much closer; however I will miss the "Back Road" drive to Apopka.

Another part of my plan was to take Charlotte to Perkins for lunch. That meant back on US-441 at the stoplight so I could turn left and travel a few more miles east. Perkins is at the stoplight between Target and Walmart from US-441. Perkins is similar to Denny's or Cracker Barrel in its menu options. The bonus is that they are also a bakery.

It is "Pie Society Monday" at Perkins today. Their offer: "Mondays have nothing that a piece of pie can’t fix! Start your week on the right foot and enjoy a slice of nice on us. Every Monday, 11 am–9 pm, enjoy a free slice of fresh-baked Perkins pie with the purchase of an entrée."

We ordered from the "55 Plus" menu. Charlotte's choice for today was the Butterball Turkey and Dressing: Oven-roasted, hand carved Butterball turkey served on sage dressing with cranberry sauce and turkey gravy. Charlotte's two sides were corn and mashed potatoes w/extra gravy on the mashed.

My 55 Plus choice was Country Fried Steak with roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes. I also had extra gravy on the mashed.

Our choice for the piece of free pie for dessert was difficult. Charlotte decided on Wildberry: Seasonal Ripe Berries with no sugar added. 

My selection was Chocolate French Silk: Creamy Chocolate topped with Real Whipped Cream and Dark Chocolate Curls.

Yes, once again we had to get a "Take Home" container for what we couldn't finish. We also added a whole Cherry Pie that will be our treat for the next few days.

We enjoyed driving with the top off both going and coming; however if it was a long stoplight the heat and humidity started to get oppressive.

Our last stop was for fuel in Umatilla on our return to OMS. We arrived back on time for Dr. Phil and our usual Monday phone call from Kat (daughter). Kat lives just a few houses away (around the corner) and takes care of the house as well as Max and Jesse (our cats.)

Chances of thunderstorms with the rain this evening. The predication was for rain around 5 p.m. It is 4:50 p.m. and the downpour has just started.

Charlotte continues to hand-stitch the quilt binding. No other plans other than a regular Jeopardy evening so I will publish the blog now.