For many years I have enjoyed wearing hats. It gives a definite recognition to a person that nothing else one can wear quite does. So……let’s have a look-see…………..

There are hats!

My parents Levi and Mary Etta Rockhold

For fun, my daughter Pamela Drake, that is a decoration crochet hat with ribbon and flowers that I hung on my bath room wall

Flo (me) on a Caribbean cruise

Mother’s Day card my daughter Meredythe Wedding in Dillon Montana

While visiting in my Bird Bay Venice Florida home Grand baby Evin Drake found her Aunt Susie’s shower cap and socked it on her head. Today that adorable baby is Dr Evin Bender

My granddaughter Sarah Drake visiting her Grandfather Dr Pete Drake in Tucson Arizona

Sarah Drake all grown up

AND THEN…….THERE ARE HATS

My father’s sister Aunt Laura Rockhold

My father’s sister Aunt Mary Matilda Bowen

NOW THOSE ARE HATS

HOW YOU LIKE????????

FRF ❤️

The day started beautifully, with my son- in- law Tracy Drake taking me with him to the Vietnamese shop for us each to have an 11:00AM  pedicure. Soooooooooo relaxing!

Around the corner to an Irish Pub for a delightful lunch. I had beer battered fish and chips with slaw and a goblet of White Zinfandel wine. YUM! Tracy had a supreme medium rare hamburger with all the trimmings, chips and a dark London beer.

And bless his kind heart, he waited in the car in front of Walgreen’s store while I got a new supply of greeting cards to send to family and friends along with new pens, candy and other items.

In the days mail, lucky me I received these valentine cards

From my daughter Meredythe Wedding in Dillon Montana

From my friends Tom and Debbie Winters from Bird Bay Venice Florida and Tomahawk Wisconsin

From my Salem Ohio mail carrier Peggie Holmes

And when my daughter Dr Pamela Drake came from her office she brought this valentine for me.

Lindt strawberry cream filled chocolates. Delicious!

WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE??????????????

FRF ❤️

When I had Emailed them a message to come at noon for lunch. They Emailed back, “Lunch not necessary see you at 1:30”

Then……..what do you think they did? Well I’m about to tell you.

Tom and Debbie Winters came with their hands full of gifts! Soooo…  not necessary! But I didn’t say that. I was so delighted to see my dear friends, it had been almost a year, and I relished in the beautiful gifts and plate of cookies this dear friend who is legally blind had made with her own two hands. Isn’t she amazing?

Our gracious host, my son-in-law Tracy Drake soon brought out champagne and orange juice cocktails in goblets and a scrumptious snack because Tracy said one never serves a drink without some kind of food.

He brought out plates for everyone, a tray with thin apple slices and and small pieces of thin sliced white bread toasted also cheese board with a heated cake of Bree topped with a peach sauce and pecan pralines. Does that sound good?

I served everyone by taking a piece of the toast, topping it with the warm Bree, sauce and pecans then placing a slice of apple on top. You may want to try it. You might like it! YUM!!YUM!!

Some of us ate more that one of those and since I had only had a cup of coffee with a small slice of toast so far in this day I ate three. Please don’t call me a piggy!!

Would you like to see some pictures that Tom took with a camera and Tracy took using my IPad? Well have a look-see at these………… we on the lanai out by the pool.

Flo. Tom and Debbie, see the cookies she made and the gifts

Flo, Tracy and Debbie

Flo and Debbie

The gifts

The snowman on the left is Debbie and the snowman on the right is Tom, so they said. The  teddy bear on the left reads “‘T’was the night before Christmas” story and was given me by my daughter Pamela Drake and the commemorative Shirley Temple doll was given me by my daughter Meredythe Wedding.

What a very delightful time we all had laughing and talking among us as we ate our snacks and drank that tasty champagne and orange juice cocktail Tracy prepared. Isn’t my son-in-law Tracy a gracious host?

Hope you enjoyed!

FRF ❤️

I enjoy getting my Christmas cards ready for the mail each and every year. Being 94 years old this year it was as great a joy as ever, even though this old lady now has trouble writing good enough for everyone to read. Because I always write a few lines in every card I send.

Some of the cards I receive have the senders names only, some have a few interesting lines about their life, others have a page letter included. I love getting each and everyone of them and at this time in my life when there is so little I can do anymore, I really look forward to the Christmas mail my wonderful mail carrier Christine brings me most days before Christmas.

I am very fortunate to receive so many adorable Christmas cards and although each one is very special to me I’d like to show you a few, so have a look-see at these………….

My helpful neighbors Pat, Darlene and Lee from across the street in Deer Creek

From my nephew Steve Gardner and his charming wife Karen

From my niece Peggie Eastman

These are the adorable children of my step grandson Shane Smith and his wife Amy. They live just outside DC where he is a professor at a college.

My friends from Tomahawk Wisconsin in their antique convertible. Adorable!!

From Sondra McCoy daughter of my Century 21 Broker Ron Morrison and Maia Morrison. Sondra was secretary in the office I worked in. See those two blond beautiful young girls center bottom, last time I saw them they were two cute little bitty girls. A beautiful group of pictures. That’s pretty Sondra with the shinny auburn hair and how about those red ribboned dogs?

From my artist Nephew Larry Gardner and his looks like a movie star wife Patricia. This picture of the dog is his creation. See his signature, he always signs his work, I have sometimes forgotten to sign mine. Whoa is me!

This unusual card is from my nephew Joe Patrick, his wife Wally and pet Muffin. They said I could hang it on my tree. yeh!

From my life long friends Betty and Pearl Drumm, Marysville Ohio. Betty is the little girl from New York City who rode the subway all the way to the end then got caught by a guard squeezing between the divider bars to get a free ride back home and was told “We had a little boy in here last week doing that who got stuck between the bars and to free him we had to cut his head off!” These lovely friends were also witnesses for Ralph and me when we were married by Reverend Charles Cramer in the York Center Methodist Church way back when.

Hope you enjoyed!!!!!

FRF ❤

Since we have no family coming to spend Christmas with us, we three, my daughter Pamela, my son-in-law Tracy Drake and 94 year old me, make the most of our day by going to the Charter House on Longboat Key for an 11:30 reservation Christmas dinner.

The hostess seats us at a table in a room with a wall of glass looking out on the wide beautiful intra-coastal water where we enjoy the fantastic view as we sip our champagne and orange juice cocktail.

We start our dinner with a bowl of lobster bisque (Manhattan style) followed with coconut shrimp appetizer.

I go all out for my main course and have northern cold water lobstertail with drawn butter, yellow long rice and asparagus tips. So have a look-see…………..

YUM!! YUM!!

After each of us devouring our delicious foods we decide to have desert at home which will be our choice of chocolate cake with Breyers chocolate and vanilla ice cream or cheese cake with fresh strawberries.

And here we are in front of the restaurant loading up to journey home to Deer Creek where we live.

Tracy and my walker in the back seat

Pamela’s Audi convertable

None of us knew who that man was, he was walking into the restaurant with some other people and just plopped himself in our picture. Pamela took the photos.

Surprise! Surprise! In Florida you never know what will happen next.

We had a delightful drive back to our home going around Armand Circle, (I’m holing on to my hat all the way) across the intra-coastal waterway bridge, past beautiful Marina Bay, by Marina Jacks restaurant where years ago I had found the 78 ft sail boat that I chartered for a five hour party sailing the intra-coastal celebrating my daughter Carole Suzanne and her new husband Terrell Smith’s wedding.

After arriving at our home in Deer Creek we open our Christmas presents and enjoy our chosen desert.

Have a look-see at my Christmas presents……

Godiva chocolate truffles

PJs for cold nights

White long sleeve knit top with multi-colored leggings and two long scarves

Charcoal leggings

Makeup mirror and David Baldacci novel.

With only the three of us we made the most of our beautiful Christmas Day.

FRF ❤️