FUZZY! ❤️ - So happy to see my favorite Lion back in the pub! BIG HUGS!!!

Mr. Bear - thanks for the beary cute cuppycakes.

Tonya - Boy, I remember those days so well. Comp weekends were always so stressful. I remember how my girl cried and cried when all her friends' solos scored platinum, and she scored gold. The saddest part was that the judges really didn't have much in the way of constructive criticism. Turns out, none of the judges had any real tap background, and her solo was tap. The joke was on them because when some choreographers from NY saw a video of her performance, they invited her to come and dance in a showcase on Broadway. I don't miss the stress, but I do miss seeing my girl on stage. She will always be my littlely, even if she is getting married this year!

THREE! Yes, THREE contractors are here working today! And all of them are working hard and getting stuff done! It's like a miracle. 😊

You are truly one of the most generous people I know! And this was great fun, regardless of the outcome.

Here's a little microfiction piece for you...

Sigh, Moan, Purr

I just finished Sigh, Moan, Purr and will be ready to submit Boardrooms & Boudoirs Part 8 tomorrow.

Quote by wxt55uk

I think it's a worldwide problem, Kat. We are waiting for a builder's start date to put a new roof on our garage and front conservatory. We have agreed on a price and paid the deposit, but tying down a start date... We've been waiting for over a month on that. 🙄

Hopefully hear this week!

Good luck! I hope you hear soon.

The second one is supposedly on his way. The third one was supposed to have been here yesterday but never showed. So, I assumed my property manager had his dates wrong and that the guy was supposed to be here today.

We finally heard back from the company we hired to clean out the drains in the parking lot. They were supposed to do this work a month ago, but the guy got the flu. This Wednesday is the only open date he has for months. So, hopefully, he stays well. We need these drains cleaned out before hurricane season comes back around. Otherwise, our property will flood. Can't have that, as new grass and bushes are set to go in very soon. There is a delicate balance and order to all this work. I just need the contractors to be here when they say they will be. Sighs...one more donut!

Well, 1 out of 3 contractors showed up so far today. Let's see if anyone else decides to show up. I may need one of those sprinkly donuts to soothe my savage inner beast. Why can't people just show up and do their job? Sighs...

Rain

She awoke alone after an evening of splendor. Rushing out into the rain, she found he’d left, the bed still warm.

Standing under a dilapidated umbrella, her heart ached. He’d exposed her soul just as the rain-soaked gown revealed her body.

He’d touched her as no man ever had, nor would ever do so again. Then he left her with nothing — until the swell of her abdomen proved otherwise.

Quote by JamesLlewellyn

It's Sit-On-Her-Day, so let's give a sit, shall we?

Lights are on, Lady Dryad has mostly cleaned up and we’re ready to rumble. Or is that just my tummy?

Tea Kettle is refilled and ready. There are pots of Red Rose and White teas available on the sideboard, plus all the other fine teas in the box. Sachets of Swiss Miss are available, along with the usual mound of mini marshmallows.

Big Bertha has been cleaned, rinsed, and refilled, and is serving up a storm.

Today we're using Peruvian Café Femenino blend from Planet Bean Coffee Roasters.

Seems like we've got Boston Cream donuts today – Ape will be pleased.

Plus I've got some fancy looking buttercream cuppycakes to tempt Kat and engage her waistline.

So, I've been told that the liberal boycott of Teslas has been causing conservatives to buy EVs.

Perhaps we should boycott books as well! Maybe it would provoke folks into reading, eh? 🤣

Oh those cuppycakes are so pretty. Maybe just one. Yum!

We are off to Costco in a bit to buy 15 large blue planters for around the pool deck. Our Costco only had three so we need to head out to Wesley Chapel. Can't beat the price - $46 each. Looking forward to the splash of color the pots will provide along the wall on the beach side. (after the wall is painted of course). Now I just need to figure out the placement of each pot so the landscapers can hook me up with water for them. Its stuff like this that helps me keep my chin up when there is still so much to do.

Watching them demo the ramp to my pier the past two days was tough. But it was necessary - it was dangerous to leave it the way it was. We will rebuild. But till then it looks strange.

Happy Saturday all y’all. 😘

Quote by KimmiBeGood

Did anyone notice the pretty butterfly resting on my…

I did! And may I say it looks exquisite there. 😘🦋

Snow White (loved it!)

Quote by KimmiBeGood

boo hiss Louisville lost in the opener. 😕 Hopefully my Wildcats will fair better tonight. I’ll be in my Korner not writing ‘cause my imaginary friends have ghosted me. 😢

HUGS! Your real friends are always here for you. 😘

Happy Thirsty Thursday. I'd love what Kimmi asked for...but will stick to the Coke Zero since I am - as always it seems - on antibiotics. Fingers crossed this new one works. I think I feel a little better, but it's too soon to tell.

The tiki hut guy left the work unfinished. He never bothered to communicate with me, but told my maintenance man that he will be back on Monday. 😕

The one and only contractor that I can always rely on to be here when he says he will is here today with a crew to demo the ramp to the pier. It has to be completely rebuilt, and right now it's a hazard as it stands. So, while we aren't ready to rebuild/repair the pier quite yet, it made sense to have that dangerous part removed before summer. Plus, his price is very reasonable - I'm sure because he has the contracts for three other projects on site. Still it's nice.

Two weeks from tomorrow we will take my brother back to Michigan and I get snuggle time with the littles. The baby will be one and she's already walking. Can't wait!

Okay, I'm off to write and mod. 😘😘

Will have to see if time permits my imagination to offer up a Rain or Peach entry.

It was discovered that my chronic sinus infection is caused by a bacteria that is resistant to a whole slew of antibiotics, including the ones we’ve tried so far. So, the PA from my ENT office called in new scripts. One oral antibiotic not on the resistance list and a complementary nasal rinse that has to come from a compounding pharmacy in Indiana. I started the oral meds yesterday and while it is too soon to be sure, I think this PA is on to something. Fingers crossed. I would really like to be done with the sinus infection club. Membership has been a drag.

On a bright note, my DIL and I started planning my daughter’s wedding shower yesterday afternoon. And no surprise, my daughter wants a smallish gathering. (She does not enjoy crowds).

Off to get my day started. Hopefully I will be back later with a 70 word or less entry. 😘

Glad to see Bear is less grumpy today! I braved the windy weather this morning to go down to mark where the two new tiki huts are going. The company is supposed to come and start that project today. Hope they don't cancel due to wind. You just never know with Florida contractors. I've narrowed down the choices on paint colors for the outdoor knee wall and the coping around the pool and the hot tub. With luck, the wall painting will start later this week, weather permitting. It felt like we are behind schedule, but as I walked the beach this weekend, I realized we are actually making really good progress. More of our favorite eateries are poised to reopen soon. And my neighbor's granddaughters came to swim yesterday for the first time since Hurricane Helene swept through like a woman scorned. LOL.

OMG Tonya, I can't believe your littely is 11! Time sure flies. So excited to hear that she is still dancing! I think I mentioned years ago how bummed I was originally when my littely decided to stop dancing. But it was the right choice. She is thriving in aerospace and making a real name for herself with another recent promotion. Still, whenever I hear a song on the radio that she danced to, I feel a lil misty inside.

Hope the week is starting off well for all y'all! 😎 I'm gonna start my day off with some Coke Zero...thanks Bear for restocking. 😘

Quote by KimmiBeGood

Maybe a light green or blue mixed in? I love those colors with the beach. Can you post a pic when done? I’d love to see it!

My friend/neighbor suggested a matching color for the wall so it "disappears" (she isn't a fan of the wall but thinks if it doesn't stand out, it would be okay, LOL). But I'm thinking about a blue for the edges of the pool and hot tub.

When the tile and fencing are completed in May, I'll be sure to take pics and share!

Just some Earl Grey today. Hoping for a pool swim in the morning and some beach time this afternoon.

Today’s major decisions will be picking the color paint for our knee wall and the coping around the pool and hot tub. I have our tile samples which I thought were a sandy light tan color. But the paint swatches that Match are variations of gray. Hmmm,… maybe a contrast color instead?

Hope all y’all have a wonderful weekend. 😎😘

Trying to focus on Boardrooms & Boudoirs now. But I also have a few short stories in various stages of completion on my flash drive that I should really revisit.

Make mine a Mimosa, merci!

It looks like we are in for a nice weekend. Hoping to snag some beach time at some point. Kevin installed a new eero Max 7 WiFi extender on our lanai so we can now use WiFi on the beach again. We’d been using the pool WiFi but that is still out of commission. Spectrum came out and said the box was working fine. Last night we did a little investigating and discovered there is no power source as the wires were destroyed in the storm. 😳🙈 Guess we will add that to the list for the electrician. SOME day, all the repairs will be completed and things will be beautiful again. One day at a time.

Bearkeep, fill my glass again? Please and thank you. 🥂🍊🍾☀️

TGIF ALL Y’all!

The Cocktail Party - Part Five is available to read. Please enjoy!

Quote by KimmiBeGood

Evening Rumpies

I’m staying up late to watch my Wildcats tonight in the SEC tourney.

And I got EIGHT steroid injections in my calf today. It still feels like my leg is on fire. Not a fun time. Bring me a bottle of the good stuff, please! I mean it, Bear! None of the cheap stuff tonight! Pretty please 😊

OH DAMN! That hurts just hearing about it! HUGS!!

Bear, put the good stuff on my tab for Kimmi!

More progress around the property today! The irrigation is done (as far as it can be completed until the landscapers start planting). Woo-hoo!

Sorry for your loss, Bear.

sniffs...sniffs again... CUPPYCAKES! (thanks Bear!)

Another busy week for property reparations. We bought 5 new picnic tables for our gathering space yesterday at Costco. These are resin instead of wood, they fold up so we can store them during a hurricane, and they were $180 in the store (WAY cheaper than the online price). We are trying to be smart about how we rebuild/repair/replace things - keeping future storms in mind.

Hope the week is going well for all y'all!

With the new part of B&B published, I have had several readers ask what order the Mac & Grace stories should be read in. You can certainly enjoy them however you like, but if you wish to read them in order, I have listed them here, with links to part one of each story. The first three are completed series. The last one is currently being written with seven parts published thus far. If you enjoy strong redheaded women, and hot sex, these stories are for you!

The Last Escort - Part One

Amazing Grace - Part One

In A New York Minute - Part One

Boardrooms & Boudoirs - Part One

Quote by JamesLlewellyn

(wanders in, yawning, smacks his lips, scratching his butt)

Oh man – why do we change clocks twice a year??

Only Arizona and Saskatchewan are smart enough not to do that.

Caffeine. Must. Have. Caffeine…

We're using High Octane Coffee today, to kick start everyone's heart.

Red Rose and Yorkshire teas are available on the sideboard, plus hot water for those who want to make other beverages.

Plenty of Coke Zero left – although SOMEONE seems to be going through it at a rate of knots!

And we've got a nice selection of pastries to pad your middles.

Plus some bacon, of course

Our 8-year-old granddaughter is visiting this weekend. She, and the 4-year-old, were convinced they turned me into a chicken yesterday, but I shook my wing at them and told them they were imagining things.

Then we played with cars…

After they changed me back into a Bear of course.

Take care out there, 'K?

Don't mind me as I grab some Coke Zero and a rasher of bacon. YUMMY combo!

My DIL sent me a video of my 11-month-old granddaughter walking. She's so adorable; I just melted!

Our Pool Opening day was wonderful. Hoping for another swim today. Happy Sunday, all y'all!

Quote by JustForYou

Fans of the good old-fashioned double entendre are thrilled to know your backyard is alive and never expected anything less.😇

Well that just made me smile! 😊

Quote by JamesLlewellyn

Congratulations, Kat! I feel quite sure that you and your amazing husband had quite a bit to do with it happening at all.

Take a bow!

Thanks! Yes, we did. And if Kevin hadn't done all that he did this week, we'd have been delayed another week or two. We couldn't let that happen. There was so much joy today. It felt good to see my backyard alive again!

Stopping in for my last Zero Cola of the night.

After five and half months, we opened our pool today! It was an amazing day, watching everyone enjoy the new furniture and swimming and having fun. So many smiles. We waited until after lunch, when the pool was nearly empty, to take my brother swimming. I still don't feel 100% yet. But I wasn't going to miss a swim on the first day!

It was a long road, but progress is a-happenin' 😎😊

Quote by Twisted_Skald

Morning my lovelies.

I hope you're all doing well.

@Kat

I hope you feel much better on the meds and that Palace of yours gets completed soon.

I brought a tray of chocolate and walnut brownies and a plate of buttermilk scones.

Do enjoy.

Will pop back later for a proper Goss.

Thank you! Lovely to have you back in Rump's! 😘

Quote by sprite

Prednisone makes me crazy. The mood swings are intense. Better than the alternative though. Hang in there, love. 🤎🤎🤎

Thanks 😘😘 It makes me a lil crazy too. But yeah, feeling better than I have in weeks sorta makes it worth it. 😘💋

Quote by JustForYou

Ice-pick in the eye? Yes, I know that one! ( although the sci-fi sounding tech in my head keeps me ice-pick free whilst it continues to do its mad miracles.) Fingers xd

We must speak of this sounding tech in your head sometime.

Thanks. Will keep my Rumpie friends posted. 🥰

Quote by JamesLlewellyn

So … perhaps you could offer advice to other love-lorn animals?

As for your pool being closed, Kat, I can top that. Our pool has been closed since September 21st, and won't be open again until April 26th! Don't you feel for us!

Here's a photo of the pool as of this morning…doesn't it look inviting? (Polar Bear speaking…)

Very good point on the pool. As you know, I lived in the north where we were only able to have our pool open from early May till late September. One of the many reasons I relocated permanently to the beach. 😘

But for polar bears, that does look awfully inviting 😉