Return of the Cruising Bunny's....

[A’Burg Guy]

I think I’m wearing down a tad. Oh well. Dave is coming over this afternoon to jig the door a tad and put a caster on it to help it swing without too much pressure on the hinges. I plan to finish painting the walls Thursday and then have the guys over Friday to get the floor down.
Congrats to Kathi (and you Dave) on your new vacuum. I liked your cruise line comparison.
That’s what we’ve been doing for a week or so Kathie. One stays in the running van and the other shops. We have to sneak to the furthest pump from the store to put fuel in with it running. We don’t take the pups on car rides just in case. A dog with “bed head”. That’s funny.
Hopefully the weather front tracks north and you get the rain Bill. We had a little Malt who used to head up to bed about 10:00. Even if we had guests. He’d stop half way up the stairs and look through the railing with an “are you ever going home?” look on his grumpy little face.
We had a couple of electronic gizmos that took proprietary batteries Pat. I think proprietary is a word that translates in to ”make ‘em different so we can charge more”.
I think I’m still banned from the Tortuga store in The Caymans Nancy. Why? For trying to eat my own weight in rum cake samples.
Best get my work duds on. Then I’ll be ready for Dave.
Please folks, have a safe and fantastic Tuesday.

 

[flgirl51]

Good evening, just a quick check in from me, been a long day of driving Barb around town & I'm beat. I just can't seem to go all day like I used to.
Amanda is still doing well as far as I know. She called me Sat. evening & was doing ok then, she had her first post op Dr. visit today since being released from the hospital so I'm sure I'll get an update from her in the next day or so.

Barb told me today that she had heard from the attorney for her insurance company & the man is going to settle with the insurance company and some kind of $100 good faith payment from Barb. I have no clue what that is about & Barb didn't really know either but $100 is a heck of a lot better than the $10,000 they wanted before. The guy will also have to sign a waiver or release of some kind saying that he accepts the settlement & can't try to come back for more later on. Another answer to prayer & a huge load off Barb's shoulders! She actually starting to look at vans again and will probably be getting something probably after the first of the year. She's decided not to try & buy a cheapo van and will finance thru our credit union again.
That's all the major news from here, my new freezer is due to arrive tomorrow but I have to wait 24 hours before I can plug it in, I'm ready to get that puppy going again! Night from Belleview!

 

[K2-Mich]

Karen: So happy things worked out for Barb. Whew! Now to find a reliable vehicle. Bet you can't wait until she finds something, so you don't have to be driving all over town!

Calling it a night folks. Stay safe when you're out and about. That Flu and even Covid is everywhere. I have friends in California (Sonoma area) and the entire family went to a 40th B-Day party and now all of they are sick with a cold/flu. At least it's not Covid.

 

[fatherdav55]

GREAT news for Barb, KC. Sounds like the insurance company's attorney earned his pay on settling the claim on Barb, and the insurance company, for way less than that guy wanted.

You are so right K2 that the flu and Covid is everywhere. Our Arizona granddaughter has Covid, and one granddaughter here in town has the flu. I think Manny will have you and your daughter trained in less than 6 weeks.

Lee; I believe your definition of "proprietary" is right on.

I got a kick out of your story about the Lhasa you once had, Bill.

BB; There's a "battery store"?

Jack's day isn't going to start off well. Both Kathi and Fuzzbutt will be leaving the house for a bit, and he'll be stuck with only me, the grumpy old man. But Fuzzbutt must be beautified at the groomer.

 

[A’Burg Guy]

Good Morning.
I hope everyone Is going to have a great day!
Karen, I know what you mean about not going all day like we used to. That’s fantastic news for Barb. Sounds more like the end result was to get the other guy to sign the waiver. I bet he won’t be gracing one of those “Dan got me $100” bill boards! Yes, fridges, freezers and the such are supposed to “air out” for 24 hours before using.
Our friends both just got over colds Kathie. Their daughter and family just over that nasty flu. Now they’re off to their daughter’s in Cleveland to baby sit while their daughter and SiL go to a Christmas party. Nope, we don’t get it either.
A little “Daddy and Me” time for Jack, eh Dave? What model of Dyson did you get Kathi for Christmas. And don’t say expensive.
Not much else up since last evening. So, I’ll check back later to see how you’re all doing.

 

[nlb1050]

Good morning.

Supposed to receive 8 cake tins today so if they arrive early enough I will make more rum cakes.

In a bit I plan of making Snowman Hot Chocolate statues. You use 3 clear small containers, putting hot chocolate mix in one, mini marshmallows in a second and then hard mints in the third. But sine the family are not fans of the mints I am putting in Hershey Kisses and Andes Mints. You glue the lid of the bottom one to the bottom of the second and the lid of the second to the bottom of the third. Then add Christmas ribbon to the area between the top and middle one and glue a felt hat to the lid of the top. I am making enough for the family and for Clara's sister and her husband.

My hands are very slowly getting better, but the thumb area still hurts a lot. Enough that is hard to hold a pen or fork.

All have a great day.

All have a great day.

 

[Bellalago Belle]

Good morning! Sorry I never made it back yesterday. We went to the battery store, came home and ate lunch, and were right back out again. It was one of those type days. I too was exhausted by the time we got home, but went ahead and made a pot of gravy for our chicken parm dinner last night, which was delicious.

Dave - Yes, there is a battery store here. It's called Batteries & Bulbs. They carry all sorts of off the wall batteries and bulbs. Unfortunately, Bert couldn't get a new battery there. Seems like his battery is a rechargeable solar battery. Seems like the store had sent a batch of that battery back and they're waiting for a new shipment. Just as glad they didn't have the battery. It would have cost $40.! Bert can get a brand new wireless keyboard for less that $10. more, so either he finds something on ebay or it's off to Sam's we will go for a new keyboard. Have fun bonding with your little boy!

Nancy - Your snowmen sound so cute. You'll need to take a picture of one to show us the end result.

Lee - Glad to hear you're pacing yourself well on this painting job. Keep up the good work. Can't wait to see pictures of the finished product when it is all set up.

Karen - Great news about how Barb is going to come out of this deal. I always meant to ask you if anyone was given a ticket? When Barb goes shopping for a new vehicle, make sure that what she finds isn't one that came out of the flooded areas during our hurricanes this year. Those vehicles are out there somewhere being sold to unsuspecting buyers. Tell her to be careful. Lucky you getting that new freezer. We sure could use one around here what with all the frozen stuff Bert buys.

Kathie - So what are you up to this morning?

I've got an appointment with my pulmonologist today. I haven't seen him in 3 months. This is one of the times in the year when I tend to get sick with bronchitis or pneumonia, so I'm glad I have this checkup today to make sure all is the way it should be.

In the meantime, I need to figure out what supplies I need for the cookies I want to bake this year for the holidays. Have a good day, everyone, and be careful if you're out and about. There's a lot of people driving distracted these days who are doing stupid things.

 

[Negc]

Finally went back and speed read all the posts from the time we were traveling. Boy, we are a gabby bunch. May have missed a few things by speed reading the posts but I think I got the gist of most of them. Meant to thank Pat and Bert for their gracious hospitality during our all too short visit. It was great seeing them and I have to agree with their opinion of the great Italian restaurant they took us to.
Gas prices around here haven't declined to anywhere near the levels that we saw while we were in FL. $3.39 is about as low as I have seen since we got back. Around Orlando, I saw a couple of stations offering regular at $2.95. I imagine that the price at Sam's or Costco was even lower.
Most everything on the cruise, except purchases in the shops, was free, K2 including passes to the Water Park in Coco Cay, and getting to see the newest ship and enjoying its many features was worth the trip. Getting a chance to reconnect with Pat and Bert was the icing on the cake.
Kevin will come to our house after he gets back from FL to disassemble and store the tree, so we have the whole month to enjoy it without any concerns about dismantling it.
Got a good report from my kidney doctor and won't see him again until mid-May.

 

[Bellalago Belle]

Back from the pulmonologist. Got a good report but he does want me to have a CT scan before the next time I see him in March. I think I'll wait until we get through the holidays before getting it done.

It's a beautiful day here, so I'm going to be heading out to the lanai for a little while. Tomorrow is supposed to rain and that will be bringing in our cold front where temps will take a dive into a high of about 60. That's just too cold for us Floridians!

Have a wonderful rest of the day.

 

[A’Burg Guy]

A long day so I‘ll keep it short.
Old Faithful started so we headed to the grocery this morning. Part way there and the engine light came on. I reckoned it was to do with the fuel system. We picked up our food and came straight home. It was games day so we hitched a lift and had a great afternoon. It was made “greater” because the Subaru dealer called. Our car was in. We went up tonight, took it for a test drive, selected a couple of protection packages and we pick it up Saturday morning.
It sounds like good news from your pulmonologist Pat. Good call to get a whole new keyboard for Bert. Do your holiday cookies extend into, oh, mid January? I’m askin’ for a friend.
Glad you got a good report from your kidney doc Bill. Fuel around here is $1.25 per litre. Less 3 cents for our CAA membership makes it as cheap as it‘s been in a dog’s age.
Hopefully you will keep feeling better Nancy. I think those snowmen sound like fun!
Tomorrow the walls get paint. Friday the floor goes down. Between the car and basement getting close I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Dang. I hope that light’s not a train!
G’nite friends.

 

[A’Burg Guy]

Heavy rain and winds all night. Glad it’s not snow.
We ate later last night after getting home. Even though it was just a light dinner it sat in my tummy like a lump. Between that and the rain pounding the bedroom window all night there was not a lot of good sleep to be had. Even Ava wasn’t interested in going out when she realized it was pouring.
Lots on tap around today.
I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe day. If you’re out and about watch out for distracted Christmas drivers!
See you all later.

 

[fatherdav55]

HOOP-DE-DO FOR YOUR NEW SUBARU, Lee. So happy for you. It never looks good when you bring in your trade-in on the back of a tow-truck. In answer to your question; The Dyson model Kathi chose is the "V-10 Animal". (Where do they come up with these names?)

Thanks to you BB, now I know that there IS a battery store. Well, battery & bulbs. I bet when Bert gets his new keyboard he'll make sure it doesn't take a specialty battery.

Bill, glad to hear about you getting a good kidney report. Problems with your kidneys?

Nancy; On your hot chocolate statues, do you put on a sticker that says, "Some assembly required"?

A soggy day for us. But at least it's not the blizzards off to our west.

And it's also a day for our smaller grocery store shopping.

 

[flgirl51]

Good morning! I believe we may be in for some wild weather around here today also. When I got up this morning the sky was just on fire! So orange & red that even just looking out the window the whole area outside was glowing, very weird looking!

Kathie, everything ok in Pure Michigan? Not like you to not drop by during the day. Manny just keeps getting cuter all the time!

Lee, sorry you had a rough night sleep wise, pace yourself on that painting today! And congrats on the arrival of the Subaru!

Pat, it's crazy how much specialty batteries cost, like you said you can replace the whole product sometimes for about the same cost as just the battery.

Dave, so how did the Daddy & Jack bonding day go? If he's anything like my crew when one of them is gone the other one just want's to sleep all day, forget snuggling!

Bill, would you be interested in renting one of your kids out for a few days? I'd love to be off on vacation & come home to the tree all down & put away, same with the outside lights & decorations. The last few years putting them up & taking them down has become a multi day project instead of barreling thru it all in 1 day

Nancy, those hot choc. snowmen sound adorable, pic's please! They would make great gifts for some of my friends here in the community!

Well, Barb is starting to get serious about car shopping now. She called the credit union yesterday & got pre-approved for a car loan, so now she has more information on what she can afford as well as the requirements of the credit union. The used car can't have more than 125,000 miles on it which pretty much rules out an older less expensive car. She is still going to take her time as the pre-approval is good for 60 days. She wants another van like she had, it just seems to be the best option for her.

Yesterday was baking day around here. I made a batch of pumpkin bread & a few pumpkin muffins. Finished my M&M choc chip cookies & made a batch of frosted hermit cookies. So now I am done!
New freezer arrived around 1:30 yesterday & seems smaller than the one I had before, but it's the same cu. ft so it shouldn't be. Can't wait to plug it in this afternoon & get things organized again!

Pretty sure I hear a pumpkin muffin calling my name so I better go see what it needs! Have a great day all!

 

[nlb1050]

Good morning. Did not a good nights sleep but will do all that I have planned.

Tomorrow I will be taking a lady to West Palm to a restaurant that she left a credit card at so she can get it back. She said she would give me money to drive her and buy me lunch.

So today I will be making 6 rum cakes. And doing a load of laundry.

Last night I made the mushroom soup and it is good. I will post the recipe later. I hope I can at least get one Snowman done today and will take a pic and post.

all have a great day.

 

[K2-Mich]

YIPPEE..... that new vehicle couldn't have come in at a better time. So, like Dave asked before.......did they give you ANYTHING for your old trusty VAN? Can't wait until you post a picture of the new ride!
Take it easy with all this painting. You're going to WEAR YOURSELF OUT BUDDY! Slow down.

I've been busy trying to bake a little and pay bills and just get things together around here.

We're off to deliver some bake goods to Jill/Mark for their family party this weekend. And then I have everything ready to make some Italian Cuniculi (something like that) Fig cookies when I get home. Made the filling yesterday and the dough this morning. These things look a tad like Fig Newton cookies. My hairdresser is Italian, and I give a good portion to him and his lovely wife when I go there next week.

Karen: Good for Barb getting pre-approved for a loan for a newer car. Hope she checks under the carpet to see if there is any SAND from Ian hurricane. They say that's what you should do when you buy used vehicles after a horrible storm. Some used car dealers just don't care what the heck they sell you. Wishing her all the best. Hope she can find a car from a private owner.
Your baking sounds yummy. The house must smell really good.

It rained here last night, but not anything like what Lee was talking about. It's COLD and DREARY right now. WINDY too. Suppose to get much COLDER tonight.

BB: Hope your cookie baking is going well. Nice that Jennifer came by to help you. Or at least keep you company!

Nancy: Glad your soup turned out good.

Out of there for now. Gotta make that delivery.

 

[K2-Mich]

UPDATE: It's Cucidali ! Italian cookies. I don't put the Sprinkles on them! You have to like Figs and the sound of the seeds crunching when you eat these things. I'm not a big fan of them, but will eat a few with coffee!

 

[Negc]

If you think batteries are expensive, check out the price of toner for computer printers. I swear it is less expensive to buy a new printer than to replace the toner on one you already have.
Looks like we will be spared the worst of the winter storm heading our way and will pretty much get rain and some winds while the snow falls well to the north and west of us. No complaints about that from this quarter.
My CKD is pretty much under control, Dave and the kidney doctor seemed pleased with the results of my most recent lab work.
Watched the SNL Christmas show last night. It was fun to see some of the early show stars and some of the classic skits.
Lots of NFL football games this weekend with games tonight,Saturday, Sunday, AND Monday. Can you say a bit of overkill? Couple them with Celtics and Bruins games and it is a relative smorgasbord for sports fans.
Wishing Barb good luck getting a replacement for her car. I think that given the possible problems resulting from those hurricanes, I'd recommend dealing with an established car dealership rather than an individual seller just in case any problems should arise with the new vehicle. Consumer Reports'Buyers Guide has information about some brands and models they recommend and some that they recommend against.

 

[Bellalago Belle]

Good afternoon! Where the heck did the morning go and the past hour also. They have definitely shortened up how many minutes are in an hour!!

Raining here now with T&L to make our life interesting. Oh, and did I mention a tornado watch to really make life interesting today. Once this weather moves out, our temps will be going down rapidly.

Lee - Congrats on the new wheels. Can't wait to see a picture of it. Sure sounds like your timing was just about right to get the new vehicle. Don't work too hard doing that painting today. By the way, what color are you painting the walls?

Nancy - Have fun with all that baking today. I'd love to have the rum cake recipe. I used to have one, but over the years it got lost.

Kathie - You are just being a baking fool this week. All those goodies you've been working on is great. You're going to make a lot of people happy with so many treats. Jennifer won't be helping me bake some of the cookies until next week when the kids are off of school until after the new year.

Dave - So how was shopping today at the little supermarket? Was it crowded? Our Publix has been a madhouse, starting with trying to find a parking place. When they built this Publix and the rest of the strip mall, there were not many residents in the area and there was another Publix a couple of miles down the road. Now we have all these new residents in the area plus the other Publix has more or less turned into a Hispanic market carrying a lot of their cultural favorites, so those who don't want that are now coming to our Publix also. I dread it, but I will have to go to Publix one more time to pick up the rest of the stuff I nee to bake the cookies.

Karen - How's the weather doing up your way? It should be almost past you by now.

Bill - We watched the SNL Christmas show last night also. It's amazing that skits you have seen over and over can still make you laugh so much. We always watch that one. Love the one song with Garret Morris singing Winter Wonderland with all the Not Ready for Prime Time Players from their first season.

Time now for me to start a HUGE pot of beef stew. With our big chill moving in after these rains, I think beef stew is the perfect dish for tonight and tomorrow night. After that the rest will be frozen for later use.

Have a good rest of the day, everyone. Stay dry, if it's raining by you and stay safe.

 

[A’Burg Guy]

Good evening folks.
I reckon I have a few pictures to take and post over the next couple of days. The rec room paint colour and floor, “Subie-Doo”, yep Lu-Ann has officially named the Outback.
We got two coats on the walls before 1:00 pm! That included our coffee and muffin breaks. Tomorrow the flooring goes down.
Bill, every time we need ink for our printer, which is less expensive than toner, we ponder a new printer too.
Our grocery stores are getting silly Pat. If you don’t want their house brands you best go look at a smaller store. Usually at a little higher price. A nice stew for a colder day. Sounds OK to me.
I don’t know if they’re Cucidali without the sprinkles Kathie. It’s nice to be able to do your deliveries without snow on the roads.
That’s nice that you are taking that lady to the restaurant Nancy.
Too bad about the mileage restriction for Barb’s new van Karen. I have a connection to one…We are all realizing tasks take a wee bit longer than they used to, aren’t we.
How were things at the smaller grocery Dave? Yep, I hadn’t thought of the snowmen being like an IKEA product.
So what’s our van worth? We’ll find out at the beginning of the week. We have a program here where you donate your vehicle to a participating charity. It is recycled as opposed to scrapped. Your charity gets the proceeds and we get a tax receipt for the blue book value. They tow it away for free.
Why look at the time here. It’s half past wine.
You all have a good evening!

 

[nlb1050]

Good afternoon! Where the heck did the morning go and the past hour also. They have definitely shortened up how many minutes are in an hour!!

Raining here now with T&L to make our life interesting. Oh, and did I mention a tornado watch to really make life interesting today. Once this weather moves out, our temps will be going down rapidly.

Lee - Congrats on the new wheels. Can't wait to see a picture of it. Sure sounds like your timing was just about right to get the new vehicle. Don't work too hard doing that painting today. By the way, what color are you painting the walls?

Nancy - Have fun with all that baking today. I'd love to have the rum cake recipe. I used to have one, but over the years it got lost.

Kathie - You are just being a baking fool this week. All those goodies you've been working on is great. You're going to make a lot of people happy with so many treats. Jennifer won't be helping me bake some of the cookies until next week when the kids are off of school until after the new year.

Dave - So how was shopping today at the little supermarket? Was it crowded? Our Publix has been a madhouse, starting with trying to find a parking place. When they built this Publix and the rest of the strip mall, there were not many residents in the area and there was another Publix a couple of miles down the road. Now we have all these new residents in the area plus the other Publix has more or less turned into a Hispanic market carrying a lot of their cultural favorites, so those who don't want that are now coming to our Publix also. I dread it, but I will have to go to Publix one more time to pick up the rest of the stuff I nee to bake the cookies.

Karen - How's the weather doing up your way? It should be almost past you by now.

Bill - We watched the SNL Christmas show last night also. It's amazing that skits you have seen over and over can still make you laugh so much. We always watch that one. Love the one song with Garret Morris singing Winter Wonderland with all the Not Ready for Prime Time Players from their first season.

Time now for me to start a HUGE pot of beef stew. With our big chill moving in after these rains, I think beef stew is the perfect dish for tonight and tomorrow night. After that the rest will be frozen for later use.

Have a good rest of the day, everyone. Stay dry, if it's raining by you and stay safe.

Ingredients​

Cake:

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
  
  
  
• 1 (15.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
  
  
  
• 4 large eggs
  
  
  
• ½ cup dark rum
  
  
  
• ½ cup water
  
  
  
• ½ cup vegetable oil
  
  
  
• 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
  

Glaze:

• ½ cup butter
  
  
  
• ½ cup white sugar
  
  
  
• ⅛ cup water
  
  
  
• ¼ cup rum
  

Local Offers​

Fort Pierce, FL 34982
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Rum Cake

Directions​

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.
   
   
2. Make cake: Sprinkle walnuts over the bottom of the prepared pan; set aside.
   
   
3. Mix together cake mix, eggs, dark rum, water, oil, and vanilla pudding mix in a large bowl until well combined. Pour batter over walnuts in the pan.
   
   
4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool, then invert cake onto a serving plate. Gently prick holes into the top and sides of cake with a toothpick or skewer.
   
   
5. Make glaze: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir sugar and water into melted butter; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove glaze from heat; stir in rum.
   
   
6. Drizzle warm glaze over top and sides of cake.