Advertisement
Published: February 28th 2020
Giddy Up! Giddy Up! Place your bets! Whoa....pony boy....Whoa! I’m sure you are curious what all this horsing around talk is all about. I’m just the one to tell you. Others from our park can tell you, also, but they aren’t writing this blog. You are stuck with me! Nee-Nar, Nee-Nar. C’est la vie.
A week or so ago, our RV Park was entertained by an evening at the Horse Races. Betting, gambling, winning, losing, hooting, sniveling.....all of it. Plus a tasty meal to start the event off. That’s always a good kickoff. Our friend, Joe (he and his wonderful wife, Bonnie, live in one of the Sandcastle cottages here) annually puts together a full night of fun and excitement for us “long-termer’s” at Tropical Palms. You remember Bonnie & Joe. They are the compassionate and tender-hearted friends who gifted us with Mimi the Mermaid after Little Lulu met her demise at the bottom of the deep, deep sea while on our cruise. Little Lulu’s new home is on the Titanic. ‘Member that tragedy? We are still in mourning. Big Lulu continues to struggle poorly.
Hey, I digress. Let get back to the horse track. Joe obtains authentic horse
race tapes (they get shown on the big TV’s). With his dedicated and jubilant volunteer crew members and our terrific activity director, Nicki Jo, they set up our community room into a big horse race venue. Some of you have been to these races before. Joe has dutifully presented this for many years. Some of our horses should probably be put out to pasture but we keep running these old nags. Hope you all were/are winners! I meant to get “table” photos of everyone whooping it up as their gambling spirit exploded but all my running back and forth to the ticket window, exhausted me. My Fitbit said I walked 25,000 steps on this taxing night. Each attendee paid $10 for a picture of a horse to color and name. These creative & artful pictures were posted behind the betting box where the exuberant ticket tellers waited for you to wager your bet. We are all given $10,000 to start. It’s fake money (Rats!) but if we win enough, we can buy tickets to place in a Chinese auction that is conducted by Joe at the end of the night. There are winners, winners everywhere! Except, this time, oh, dear.....Mr.Lucky
fizzled. His lucky run hit a pothole. His steam evaporated. His fire was doused. His gift was returned. He did win a few fake bills on one race (made him joyful) but when it came to the hands-on prizes: nada, nought, zero, zip, scratch, diddly. C’est la vie. Top that off....I didn’t do much better. When the frolicsome evening ended, everyone danced their way back to their homes while Cory & I schlepped back to our RV. You can’t win every time, Bucky! But you’ll always be my winner. I think I know what happened. Lovely Lulu wasn’t with us! She always brings us good luck. She’s a real winner....the top dog. I hate to tell you this but she stayed back because she was hung over. Remember I told you she has been wetting her whistle with a sip or two or even eighty of the enticing hooch ....drowning her sorrow. I feel it may be getting the best of her. I’m scheduling an appointment for her with AA next month! Fearing she may be turning into a tosspot.
We all have had our senior moments...right?
I must share my recent one with you. You are my
catharsis. Too bad....friendly friends and family....that’s just part of your job if you are reading these blogs. Cory bought a new smartphone. This time he bought an iPhone 11. Nice phone. I wanted to change his ringtone to the one he is used to...all the other bells, whistles, dings and honks he just doesn’t hear. I have always made a special one for him with my melodious voice: CORY, CORY...ANSWER YOUR PHONE....CORY, CORY...WE ARE TRYING TO REACH YOU! I’m sure many of you have heard this pleasant message. He ALWAYS answers to this nifty little jingle. I had to use our computer to add it to his phone via iTunes. I hate iTunes. It never works easily for me. Anyway, as I navigated through the process, some music started loudly playing on the computer! I DID NOT need this distraction. First, I tried turning it down...nothing! I tried everything I could to close out this unwanted, nerve wracking racket! I called Apple Support. Nothing....they said I had to call Hewitt Packer (computer manufacturer). Couldn’t find an easy way to contact them. I WANTED TO SPEAK WITH A PERSON (even if it was Mike with an Indian accent). I called Apple
Support back and finally (hours passed) got a sympathetic representative. A miracle unto itself. In the meantime, Sandy and her daughter had stopped by. They heard this thunderous melody bounding throughout our RV. They witnessed my frantic face as I was on the phone. Not a pretty picture. The kind Apple woman walked me through various steps. Nothing! I was desperate. I was ready to get my ear plugs because, even when I turned the computer completely off, the music continued to blare. Unbelievable! The kind & patient voice on the phone was dumbfounded ....she said she had never, never encountered such an issue....never. How could the music continue to play on a laptop that was unplugged and turned off? HOW? She continued to ask me if the music was coming out of the computer. Of course, it was! I assured her it was! This torture started once I was in iTunes. I had even checked the radio in iTunes because the music had commercials in it....like a radio. We have no radio except one in the dash of the RV that we never, ever use. I was close to hari-kari. Sandy and Sherri watched in awe, fear & astonishment.
I got up and looked behind the laptop to check for another cord I could rip out.......Uh Oh! Oh, My. What the He_l? Noooo! Guess what? You won’t believe this one. There...on the shelf, just behind our computer, sat “Alexa”! Yup....there was our Amazon Echo Dot: BLASTING OUT THIS ATROCIOUS JINGLE! You have to be kidding me! Somehow, she must have her me swear something about music and started playing away....except I never used her name “Alexa.” I have no idea how it happened but there it was in real life. When I said “Alexa, turn off the music”, we were immediately surrounded by the “Sound of Silence.” A miracle happened this day. Now I had to speak to the gracious woman on the phone. With embarrassment in my quivering voice, I confessed my sins. Hallelujah....she was a Saint with a sense of humor. Phew! Now I had to look Sandy and Sherri in their eyes. Phew! They were laughing, too. I joined them. A definite senior moment. I still haven’t changed Cory’s ringtone...scared! If he doesn’t answer your call....it’s not his fault....well, maybe it is a little bit. But we’ll get him all set up one of these days.
I just dread going back into that pukey iTunes.
Two times a week, Sandy goes to the Celebration hospital for physical therapy on her injured arm. Of course, her support team (us) go with her.....not into the rehab room but somewhere within her vicinity (so she can feel our love & support). The other day, Sam had lab work done while Sandy was in PT. Just look who we came upon waiting to have lab work done, also. Yup....our good friend, Ray. So good to see him since we haven’t had the pleasure of his company at lobby coffee for awhile now. The lab lady called for the next patient to go in for his test. “Paul, Paul” she called out. Ray headed promptly towards her. Whoa, fella! Helpful as I am, I told Ray she was calling Paul....not him. He said he was Paul. Oh, God...he is sick I thought. He now doesn’t even know his name. I’m Paul he repeated. Noooo...why has this happened to such a good man? Finally, he said Paul is his first name and Ray is his middle name. Whaaaat? What a tricky guy. Now, I figure he’s in a witness protection program
so don’t tell anyone his secret...I certainly won’t. It was so good to see “Mr.X” again.
I can see this blog is getting a tad more exhaustive than what I planned. I’ll cut it short (and this is what I call short) even though I have more non-musical ditties to share with you. You can start holding your breath in anticipation NOW! Keep your eye opened (pirate people..awwrrrr) for your next notification of our published travel blog. We still have tales from being here, there and yonder...mostly here cause the weather has taken a dip in the temperature and we can’t pry Sam out of his warm, snuggly, comfy lounge chair in their RV. Brrrrrrrr.
There are 15 photos. REMEMBER to keep scrolling “Way, Way” down until you think your finger might bleed in order to peruse all of them. Sometimes when I really go overboard, you may have to click onto another page....that’s when I really present a true photo album for your enjoyment. Happy Day!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.04s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 7; qc: 23; dbt: 0.0208s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Linda
non-member comment
LOL
hahahahahahahaha, hahahahahahaha.......