Sweet Sixteen. Only comes around one time. My birthday is Oct. 23rd but we won't bother with the numbers. Only as old as you think you are mentally but the physical does it's own thing.
Have a great day.
Christi
Christi's thread.
Here I am, in our little courtyard. as you can see, i am a talll scrawny guy, always losing weight, and having a hard time gaining any!
Isaac
Good Sunday Morning, Isaac. I see a very nice looking young man. I'm sure my 15 year old granddaughter would think the same. How long have you and your family been in Africa? Are you in school there or do you homeschool?
I'm really nosy.
Christi
Have read of your struggle with recurring malaria on other threads. No wonder you don't gain weight. But then young men don't usually "fill out" until in their twenties. Not to worry.
Nice looking?? thats a matter of opinion! :-)
we have been living in Mozambique for 11 years, it is home to me. we will never go back to South Africa, and my brother and sister who are in their twenties are both still here too. this is home for all of us, and we enjoy it very much here. my brother might move away after his studies, but i am not sure.
I do homeschooling, and i enjoy it. the curriculum i use is A.C.E. (Accelerated Christian Education). it originates in the USA, but its all over the world. have you heard of it before?
if you have any more questions, i would love to answer them. i am glad to have made another good friend on DG.
Isaac
Thank you, Isaac. Knowing people from all over the world has helped to expand my knowledge even my ripe old age. I will be 68 in October so I can assure you I am not a predator. I liken the internet to the old days when people had pen pals that went by snail mail. I am familiar with ACE. One of the daycare centers that is being considered for my 3 year great-granddaughter teaches by their principles. What is your main interest in your studies?
Hi, everyone.
Good picture, Isaac.
Christi... good one: you're not a predator! Who would have thought? We must all be very careful with the internet, as everyone knows. Ten years ago, Gail went on the internet to find a knitting/crocheting pal. She found someone who called herself Georgina. They exchanged email for a while, then phone numbers. I knew nothing about this. Then one morning at breakfast, Gail announces that she has made arrangements to meet this Georgina in an italian restaurant on Fridays, 2 days from now. I was weary and curious. I asked the usual questions:
How do you know her? Internet.
Have you met her before? No.
Where does she live? Not far from here.
Where does she work? Not far from here.
What does she do for a living? I don't know.
Will you meet her alone? Yes. We're going for dinner at Galleo's.
Does she drink? I don't know.
Does she smoke? I don't know.
Does she have children? No, just a small ankle biter dog.
What else do you know about this person? Nothing except she knits and gives away her work to charity, like me.
Is she a serial killer? No.
Is she a predator who will kidnap you and sell you into slavery? Oh, don't be silly.
What else do you know about her? Nothing.
You've given this a lot of thought, I see? Yes.
You're kidding, aren't you? No.
Not wanting to fly into a conniption frit, I countered by telling Gail that she wouldn't meet a stranger at Galleo's alone. Georgina could come for supper at OUR house on Friday after work. I would prepare the meal and leave them alone to discuss yarn, knitting needles, patterns, etc. If there was anything suspicious about this meeting, the alleged Georgina wouldn't show and that would end it right there.
So, I fixed an italian dinner and Georgina arrived at the exact time indicated. I answered the door to come face to face with this 5 feet 11 inches woman built like a brick house carrying 2 bags of yarns and finished projects. I welcomed her into our home and came straight out with it: I would assess if she was a serial killer, a predator or a sex maniac. We all laughed, except Gail. She doesn't have much of a sense of humor.
We became fast friends. I was speaking to her a few days ago and she asked me if I had finally come to a decision about her proclevities. I told her the jury was still out on that one. She will be visiting us in November for a week. I can't wait. This turned out well but it could just easily have turned sour, had I dropped Gail at that restaurant the first night.
Now, Isaac... I have known Christi for a while now. We have never met in person (maybe next spring) but I did talk to her on the phone. She sounds like a nice person and I almost certain she is, too. I guess I'm the one everyone should be concerned with: the polar bear living in Florida. Who ever heard of such a thing? Be afraid, be very afraid.
Take care, all.
Sylvain.
hahahaha! Oh Pu'ole I do love you so. Always good for a laugh. Remember, I did go to Braveheartsmom in Feb. 08 with DH and we stayed a week. Sight unseen, only friends from DG. Now I have a friend for all eternity. Her mother, DH, DS were there as well and it was if we had known each other forever already. The fall before that we drove to Houston to pick up IslandShari and her DH from the airport as they had arranged a stopover for just the purpose of us meeting. That is 228 miles one way. We met at RJudd-Harrisons home and Jeanne77TX came to meet all of us. That is now a hard and fast relationship. RJ has since been here for a long weekend. Sheila_Ft.Worth and Mibus2 have both been here numerous times and I have visited Sheila, about 45 miles from here.
Last November, shortly after I was again mobile from surgery there was a BIG SURPRISE.
Broncbuster, Sheila, Josephine, and PBTX were here to "put the garden to bed".
This coming Spring, IslandShari will once again be passing through. She is coming from the Marshall Islands to see her parents in Brownwood Texas. Planning to stay over at my home for a couple of days. The Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, Sylvain and Rj will be here too. Going to put out an open invitation to any others that want to fly, drive, walk or crawl. After five years of talking with my gardening buddies on DG I have found everyone to be of sterling character.
Sylvain, so glad Gails adventure turned out so well. Just think of what she would have missed had you not been your usual gracious self and cooked dinner for them.
Oh how could I forget. While on Maui at Jen's , Carol, AlohaHoya flew from her island to go on the whale boat with us. Another wonderful person in every way.
I am feeling overwhelmed with counting my blessings today. Hallelujah.
Christi
Count them there blessings one by one, Christi. It's the only way to go.
Pu'ole, a.k.a. Sylvain.
lol, I think Princess Kilikina aka Christi aka LouC is collecting scrawny Africans...lol...
but ya don't look scrawny..anyway the alternative....?
While we were on a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands Carol came and picked us up at the dock and took us to a local swap meet, made us lunch, and gave us the tour of their beautiful property. Then her husband took my husband down into a lava tube near their home. That lava tube was the high point of that vacation for Harry, and something he still talks about a lot. Great people reside here on Dave's.
Mary
LOL Randy! Isaac you are very cute! Great picture Isaac!
Christi, I too have a granddaughter that will be 15 Jan. 2010. She sings and dances also.
Sylvain you were right to be cautious. You do have to be careful especially in this day and age. So far everyone I have met has just been wonderful.
Mother is very weak, but her spots are few and starting to scab over. Her eye and mouth are still very painful. The shingles are in her blind eye, so that is actually a blessing. It could have been the other side in her good eye (which she has lost alot of the vision in also). Please continue to pray for her. I thank you all so much for your prayers.!
Jeanne
Christi - sitting here at work (I hate working Sundays!), catching up on Daves! Your granddaughter is a beautiful young lady, and how very poised and elegant she is! You must be very proud of her, and I am sure she has a wonderful career ahead of her as a ballerina, especially as she has already earned the lead at her young age.
Isaac, so nice to see a picture of you - and what a lovely spot you have there in your garden. I am enjoying hearing all about your life in Africa, and I hope you are feeling better.
Lovely, as always, to hear from you our polar bear!
Jeanne, where have you been keeping yourself? I hope your Mom is feeling a little better now - have all of you had the shingles shot? I think you have to be 60 to have it, but well worth doing - it's a rotten thing to get. Give my love to Mom.
Aloha to all.
i wasn't worried that you were a serial killer, Christi! i may not have been here that long, but so far i feel perfectly safe with all of you. i just hope that one day i will be actually able to meet some of you face to face, that would be so cool! too bad i live in Moz, its a little far from the US! Another reason i like this forum, is because i am famaliar with almost everyone, some of the other forums are so big i have no idea who i am talking with.
RJ, i may not look too scrawny on that pic, but i am! i may be very thin, but i eat A LOT!
Sylvain, you are hilarious, as usual!
well, i gotta run, school calls!
Isaac
Hi, Jen. Actually the last two summers Payton has gone to specialized ballet schools. This past summer she stayed in a sorority house at UT Austin and went to yet another juried class for 4 weeks. Some 200 miles from home. She has outgrown her teacher and the teacher arranged another audition and she is taking lessons 5 days a week at The Texas Ballet Company. Her mother is a doll as it is some 40 miles from home and she sits for 2 hours everyday while Payton is in class. She gets out of school 1 period early as this counts as PE. She really won't be 15 until Jan. Even better she makes high grades and has very good morals. Her dad, our son, lives in Tulsa, OK some 250 miles from her but he flies her back and forth and they talk on the cell several times everyday of the world. They are probably closer than many parent/child that live in the same household. How does that sound for a very proud grandmother.
PK
Well, Isaac, I can't speak for everyone who reads these lines. At the top of this thread are the thread's frequentation statistics: 2,396 views against 333 posts. So only 1 person out of 7 actually writes something and keeps the thread going. As I was saying, I can't speak for all those people but you look like a nice enough gentleman. Concentrate on your studies, school and remaining as healthy as you can. When I was your age, almost 40 years ago, I was a hunk with hair all the way down to my shoulders and a smile that would melt granite. It actually interfered with my studies. I had to beat the girls away with a stick; LOL.
We come in all shapes and sizes. You complain that you eat a lot and don't beef up. I don't eat that much and I look like a blimp. I actually gain weight watching cooking on TV. But that's another story. We like you for who you are, in a totally non-judgemental way. For sure, you are the youngest member here. You'll keep us young and thank you for that. With the internet, the global village gets smaller every day. Who knows, maybe one day you'll come visit us in the US and we'll get a chance to meet face to face. That's always a wonderful thing for us.
Take care, all.
Sylvain.
Oh, I forgot.
A friend of mine left this vanda orchid in my care and it bloomed yesterday. I am surprised because vandas and me don't usually see eye to eye.
Take care.
Pu'ole, a.k.a. Sylvain.
Christi, i would say you have reason to be proud. your granddaughter must be very talented. i am sure you are very proud that she has good morals. growing up in a stablized Christian family here has taught me a lot about morals, and i am so thankful for the discipline and the rules my parents give me. earlier today there were 4 guys my age here, and i have to say, i was more than glad to see them leaving! all they think about is girls, and their language is less than desirable. when the one saw a packet of basil seed in my room he said, "What the heck are you doing with this in your room??" i said, "well, i do gardening. its my hobby." judging by the look he gave me, i just might as well have said i came from Mars! Anyway, i am thankful that i live here in Mozambique, though i am a little isolated, i don't have to deal with bad influences from school, etc.
Christi, i wonder if you would mind posting a picture or two of your garden? i would love to see what it looks like. i always enjoy seeing other people's gardens. if you like, i can post some of our garden.
Isaac
hi sylvain,
you posted while i was writing. thank you very much for the compliments, i am glad you guys like me. You indeed are a interesting and loveable person, i am glad to count you as a friend here on DG.
i do not like all my subjects in school, especially Math. i am not very good at it, and i don't like it. English i enjoy and do well at, though i don't like history! my two favorite subjects are Nutrition and Christian Growth.
i have never had the problem of having to bat girls away, thank goodness! :-) i have never had a girlfriend, and i don't date. i do want to get married one day, but i am trusting the Lord, that he will show me who and when.
Isaac
Sylvain, my spies on the cruise ships report that you are STILL beating them off with sticks...!
Issac the world, lord moves in mysterious ways we all know, a few of us found that out when we suddenly found ourselves face to face one sunny November afternoon, and we were lucky to have taken pictures! http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/790570/
Your school mates may hand out strange looks, but your friends here have only smiles for a strong person following his convictions!
Aaaawwwww, Randy. Made me homesick for all of you guys. I'm supposed to be getting my duds together for a trip to Gulf Port Miss. Instead, here I am on DG. I really need to get busy.
PK
really? how long are you going to be gone? Isn't this a yearly trip? have fun!
Packing for a trip: one of life's little joys. After 24 cruises, I don't sweat the small stuff. I pull out the suitcases the day before we sail and fill them just before I go to bed. What I forget behind, we don't need; so there! I hope you have a great time.
I remember that thread when Shari visited 2 years ago already. How time flies. It feels like it was just a few months ago.
Randy, your spies are right. Even though I'm now 54 years old, very pleasantly plump, built for comfort, not for sport and my hair (what's left of it) is shaved down to the scalp, I still get sidelong glances from unknown admirers. Someone even threw her cabin's keycard at me during a karaoke session where I sang What a Wonderful World. What an ego booster.
Isaac, you seem to have your head screwed on right. I like that. As Electric Light Orchestra sang: Hold on Tight To Your Dreams. It's before your time (1981). Here's the link to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9hMXnUty6s
Accrochez-vous à vos rêves.
Sylvain.
Early Indiana Jones. hahahaha.
aah, it's nice to have correct spies! One day Christi and I are going to crash your ship and rate your karaoke ourselves!
A wise man indeed to quoat ELO!!!
This message was edited Sep 28, 2009 4:19 PM
I am ready when you are. Usually we go to Mustang Island just across the causway from Corpus Christi. Decided to try the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a change. Hope we haven't made a mistake. We don't gamble...not interested. Have been hearing rumours that the oodles of tax money and the ooodles of donations are not evident. We'll see. At least it will make us thankful for our blessings. Staying in a condo as we do at Mustang Island.
Princess Kilikina
I have new hours starting next week,
I will have Sun/Mon off, but will be off at 2pm on saturday afternoons, so that will be a nice weekend. We must look at skeds when u get back.
Thanks sylvain, i have heard of that song before, i think. our internet is too slow to listen to it, but i have a friend, Brian, who has tons of music. i will have to ask him if he has this song.
I hope you have i nice trip, Christi! i am scared of a boat, deep ocean scares me to death! i would much rather fly in a plane.
I hear you, RJ. maybe one day we will meet. i checked your page, i am judging you are probably the second youngest member we have here?
Isaac
Good Morning. We will be driving, weestraad. Closest I will be to the water is wading along the edge of the beach. When we go to Mustang, we must be very careful as there are always stingrays in the sand but worst of all jellyfish. Unless you walk above high tide area. The tide brings them in and they are stranded but can give a serious sting.
Wound up running erands yesterday and then picked up the young'un from daycare. She and Kelly stayed for dinner and watched part of the Cowboys with Mike. I went to bed.
She was 3 on Saturday and is truly a lot of fun right now. INDEPENDENT in all caps. Nothing like a baby or toddler to help cure your ills.
Now today, is not a choice. Must get busy. We leave early Thursday morning for two days one the road. It is a 12+ drive but we don't like to try to make it all at once. Besides getting there is half the fun. We have explored Louisiana in depth but there is always something more to see. I love their French. Sylvain you would feel right at home.
Later,
PK
Oops, sorry RJ. i just checked that link you put on, and saw some of the pictures. you are older than i thought at first.
enjoy your time, Christi! i enjoy travelling, though i am the only one in our family, so we don't travel much. we do have stingrays here too, we rarely see them. what we do get often in bad weather are bluebottles (Portuguese men of war), those stings really hurt alot.
well, i have a bit of schoolwork to finish, so good night everyone!
Isaac
We get Portugese Man Of War here, too. As a matter of fact, I believe they are present in every ocean and sea in sub-tropical and tropical waters. They are just plain nasty. The blue sail can trail stinging tentacles for 20 feet on an adult specimen. People who get stung by them remember the incident all their life. I like to walk on the beach and step on the blue bubbles after they have washed ashore. I always wear waterproof beach mocassins or Crocs at the shore.
I just finished a bit of a chore here. When we changed the air conditionning unit, the workers stepped on the wire shelving in our bedroom's walk-in closet. So doing, they weakened the system and the whole works came crashing down Saturday. So, I picked up every stitch of clothing we own off the floor, salvaged whatever shelving I could, purchased the necessary parts to repair everything and re-installed the system. All in all, it took me 3 hours from start to finish: not bad.
It's not heavy work but it has to be done right the first time. A friend told me he would give me a hand with all that. He hasn't shown his face yet. It's just as well. The walk-in closet in our room is narrow and deep. There isn't that much space for anyone else when I am in there. We would have stepped on each other's toes. Still, a hand with such chores would be nice once in a while. I'm always ready to lend a hand but I work alone most of the time. Such is life.
Take care, all.
Sylvain.
Ooooohhhh Pu'ole. If I were closer I would be happy to help you. Our whole closet is on the bed right now while we decide what to pack. Not really a big deal. When we used to travel by Motorhome, I would take no less than 30 pairs of shoes. I have had a shoe fetish my entire life. Luckily a 6B is real easy to find and often on sale. Since it is the official sample size, I often clean up when Ross's gets a new shipment. When I worked for Anthony, his shoe supplier would send me cases of 50 at a time.
LOL, yes I'm probably the second youngest...at 50....
You must be what we call an old soul Isaac.
Yes, ya'll are old souls and the rest of us are just young at heart! HA HA!
I have been told before i am an old soul, i take it as a compliment! but i agree with you, Jeanne, all of you are young at heart!
glad you got that job done Sylvain, at least its finished now!
i hope you all have a nice day.
Isaac
Have a good, safe trip Christi.
Taking my new laptop with me so I can keep up with what you guys are up to. As a matter of fact, I have One to One lesson at the Apple retail store at 9:00 AM to learn the ins and outs of iPhoto. Maybe I will be more adept at posting pictures. Need to learn to be a better photographer first. smirk.
busy day ahead. Hope yours is a good one.
PK
Have a safe trip Christi!
Everyone have a great weekend!
We're supposed to get rain for the next few days, so that will be great. I won't have to water! Plus it's cooling off!
Hey everybody!
did you all have a nice weekend? i had a long weekend off from school, gave me a chance to do some gardening. my friend Brian was also visiting most of the time, so we went snorkeling on Sunday. it was great, but just cold. i am so thin, that i when the water is a little bit cold, it seeps into my bones i really struggle to get warm! :-)
we also flew some kites, and my neck is so stiff today from looking up at the kites for almost 2 hours.
we played some board games, cluedo being my favorite. we decided to drop the table tennis for now, and are playing darts more often. my hand co-ordination is really bad, so i am not very good. but, as they say, practice makes perfect!
well, i have a busy day ahead, a lot of schoolwork. talk to you guys later.
Isaac
Hello, everyone.
Busy weekend here. We entertained on Saturday so the house needed to be in its absolute cleanest, most pristine state ever. We endeavour to keep a clean house but sometimes we abandon stuff here and there; I don't know why. Anyhow, it was cleanup time plus cooking time and cleanup again after they left. It was fun but exhausting. Then, on Sunday morning, I needed to be out of here at 6:15 because I volunteered to help a nonprofit organization raise money to build an elevator in a disabled veteran's house.
The house is called Fisher House in West Palm Beach. It is a registered non-profit organisation 501(3)-C if memory serves. Basically, it is like a Ronald McDonald house where families stay while their veteran relative is in the hospital next door. We raised almost $7,000 that morning. People came in with lists of sponsors and cheques. Then, they walked 3 miles in their boots to earn the money that had been pledged to them. Everyone had fun and we only need another $8,000 to complete the project.
Like Isaac, I enjoy flying kites even at 54 years of age. Last year, Gail and I were at John U. Lloyd State Park in Fort Lauderdale. It was a beautiful day so I decided to bring the kite. I was minding my own business, enjoying my kite when a ranger came by and ordered me to bring that kite in NOW!!! It turns out kite flying is forbidden in that park. There are no signs anywhere but that's the way it is. Imagine that: no kites at the beach. What next? No getting wet at the beach, or no disturbing the sand at the beach. Stupid, idiotic people! I reeled in my kite and folded it away. He came back not only to make sure that I had stopped flying it but that it was stored in my car: absolutely no kites on the beach. Who knew kites could become weapons of mass distruction? Paranoid people will be the death of me, I swear.
Have a great day, all.
Sylvain.
Good Morning. We arrived in Gulfport Miss. Friday night. The devastation still evident from Katrina is awful. The news focused on New Orleans but that was a flood from poorly constructed levies. This is the real deal. No need to try to describe it to those in Florida, you have it first hand. It has been 4 years and is 2% recovered. Has taken all this time to clear the debris. With all the money that has been poured somewhere by donations it should be a gleaming new city. They are working very hard to achieve that but it is hard. Wonder what FEMA did with all that money. The attitude of the people is wonderful. Makes just want to hug everyone of them. There is a week long gathering of people who restore cars. We are right on the beach and can watch from our balconey as they
"cruise". Since we are very senior we used to drive a lot of these ourselves. Still most beautiful car in the world is the '57 Chevy. It is a sight to behold. Only went to one casino for just a short while...Hard Rock Cafe. Had to look around and say we had been there. We aren't gamblers so didn't do much damage.
Gonna check into a 4 hour ocean ride today. Later, friends.
Princess Kilikina