I was feeding Mason this morning when all of the sudden the power went out. It was a perfectly nice day outside and there was no obvious reason why the lights went off. While Mason finished his breakfast Becks called her momma to see of they were up and invite ourselves over for breakfast.
After making a quick run to Winn-Dixie (they had power) we drove over to Charlotte’s. Steve was frying up bacon and had brewed a large pot of coffee. I set about making pancakes and in no time had the first batch cooked. However, since I forgot to bring the syrup I had to make a quick run to the house before everyone could eat.
When breakfast was finished we hung around the house watching Mason as he explored Grammy’s house. Since we had no power church was out of the question and I decided to make a grocery list to take care of the shopping.
The parking lot at Wal-Mart was packed and when I walked into the store a little after 10:30 the aisles were swarming with fellow shoppers. Many had their carriages chock full of food and it appeared that many were doing their Thanksgiving Day shopping. Turkeys were a very popular item so much so that the store ran out. Due to the crowds and my inability to find chili seasoning it tool me an hour and a half to finish the shopping.
This afternoon I made a batch of chili and marinated a pork roast in mojo which I later roasted. I was happy that I was able to make the chili and roast the pork since this will cut down on the amount of cooking I have to do next week.
While I was cooking I also listened to/watched the Jaguars beat the Jets in a thrilling 24-22 win. Despite our morning getting off to a rocky start I had a great day with Becks and Mason.
This morning I made us a good breakfast of cheese grits, bacon and scrambled eggs. Mason had two scoops of grits in addition to his bottle and was very happy. Following a brief morning nap (for Mason) we headed up to Charlotte’s house.
A few minutes after we got there Charlotte and Bub along with their grandson Walker arrived from Folkston, GA. They had driven over for a visit to see Charlotte’s new house. It was nice to see them and as we chatted Walker and Mason sized each other up. In no time they were both playing on the floor with one another. Mason is used to older kids and Walker and him were both very well-behaved.
For lunch we decided to head up to Sage for some sandwiches on their porch. It was a beautiful day and it was perfect weather to sit outside. Lunch was very good and I really enjoyed my terriyaki chicken po-boy.
After hanging out with us for a little while longer Charlotte and Bub left for Folkston. We hung around Charlotte’s and watched the Seminoles run up a 31-14 halftime lead over Wake Forest. Mason was starting to dose off in his Grammy’s arms and Becks asked her if she would mind watching him while we ran up to Thomasville. Charlotte agreed and we were off for a few hours to run errands and stroll around downtown.
The first thing we did when we got to Thomasville was to head to The Scoop for ice cream. Once we had our cones we went to The Bookshelf to browse. I ended up buying the new book about Bobby Bowden while Becks saw several things she liked for Mason for Christmas. We hit the usual stops including Limelight and Firefly before stopping in at the Hallmark store so Becks could buy some candles for the house.
While we were popping in and out of the car running errands I was able to follow the Seminoles game. EJ Manuel had a great first start for the Noles and the ended up beating the Demon Deacons 41-28! With the win the Seminoles improved their record to 5-5 (3-4 ACC) and just need a win against Maryland next weekend to become bowl eligible. It would be nice to make a bowl for the 28th straight year after a pretty disappointing season.
I decided to buy a 6-pak of Magners cider this evening at ABC Liquors to see how it compared to others ciders I have tasted including my own.
When I got home I poured it into a glass. It was pale yellow in color with pink tones and slighty fizzy. The small head that developed when I poured the cider into the glass disappeared quickly. I took a small and detected a scent of apples with a sugar. I took a sip and first noted a slight apple flavor that was followed by a punch of syrupy sweetness. The entire sip tasted like a badly flavored wine cooler. It was not a good cider.
Unhappily choked down the rest of the glass. I was very disappointed with Magners and will not buy it again. It is an Irish version of Cider Jack (also crap) and was overpriced to boot. In the future I will stick with my homemade cider and bypass Magners.
At the bottom of a long set of moss-covered steps a small group of people had gathered. Amongst them I saw a judge and someone I just knew to be opposing counsel milling about and waiting for the hearing to begin.
Trees covered the walkway and the courtroom consisted of large granite blocks set into a hillside at a 90 degree angle. They formed a sort of amphitheatre and when I reached the bottom of the stairs I was greeted by the employer representative who looked Mr. Weasely from the Harry Potter movies.
Just as the hearing was about to begin I realized I had forgot the questions I had prepared for the witnesses. Without asking to go retrieve the I ran towards the place where my car was located. The parking lot was enormous and it took a long time to find my car. When I finally did I opened the backdoor and found nothing. I panicked and ran off from the car trying to remember where I had left the questions.
The next thing I know is that I am on an escalator that is going up towards an unknown destination. Next to me was Becky and in front of her was Charlotte. The escalator kept moving up and sunlight began to pour in. To the front I could see numerous teal seats. I was inside Jacksonville Memorial Stadium and then suddenly the escalator ended.
Instead of getting off I had to slide around he side. I was then walking down a hallway into an office of some kind. There was a woman there talking to someone else and they did not notice I was there. I was looking at books that filled the shelves on one side of the office.
What happened next is a bit fuzzy, but all of he sudden I said I needed to leave and walked out another door that led to a grassy area. It looked like a college campus of some kind and I started running back to the tree covered granite amphitheatre. I kept saying to myself that 5 hours had elapsed and that i was going to be in trouble.
When I arrived everyone had left except for one unidentified person who said that they would be back because the judge had recessed until I returned. The next moment it was 6:15 am and the alarm was going off. It was a very odd dream and for someone who usually doesn’t remember their dreams I am amazed I could recall so many odd details.
Mason in his little dinosaur outfit from his Big Nana Snowdon.
Mason turned 10 months old today and celebrated this milestone by spending the day at home with his momma. I know that every parent says their children grow up too fast, and now having one of my own, I understand that statement.
The little monkey is standing up on his own and is able to balance for a little while before landing on his bottom. He is also feeding himself his own bottle, even when it is full. I am not sure when he figured out that he had to tip it up to get his milk out, but he has and now gets as much on his face as in his mouth.
He is also getting into everything and has a knack for knowing which things he should not play with and then going right for those items. Last week he did something to the televison that took Becks an hour on the phone with the DirecTV people to fix. The dogs are also becoming a little more wary of him since he can now chase them down but has not figured out how to pet them gently. That is something we have to work on a little more.
Eating is also something Mason is immensely enjoys and he puts his 8 little teeth to good use on a daily basis. He is eating table food of all kinds in addition to his formula. He really likes cheese grits, chicken, Cheerios and green beans. I am very happy that he is not a fussy eater and cannot imagine having a baby who did not like to eat.
People keep asking if he has started to talk yet and he has not. He will say things like da-da-da-da and ma-ma-ma but I am not sure if he is actually connecting what he is saying to Becks and me. I know that before I know it he will be talking up a storm, and if he is like his mom and dad he will not stop once he gets going. For now I am grateful for the realative quiet as he tears around the house getting into all sorts of things. For all the work being a parent entails Mason has made my life so much more enjoyable than before he was here!
I was walking out to the car with Mason in one arm and a cup of coffee in the other when the rain started to fall. It was light at first with only a few large drops splashing onto the roof of the car and my shirt as I leaned into the back to buckle Mason into his car seat. I had checked the weather before heading out of the house and it was supposed to rain all day with the most severe weather arriving late in the afternoon.
By the time we began to make our way to Ms. Cherrie’s house the rain was coming down harder. Mason did not care about the rain running down the outside of the window or hitting his cheeks as I carried him into her house. When I opened the door he smiled as I brushed his hair aside and plopped him into his high chair. A quick glance to over to the counter revealed the source of his joy as a large bowl of steaming cheese grits sat there waiting to be consumed.
While working and trying to prepare for an upcoming trial on Thursday the rain continued to fall. It was a very dreary kind of rain that only occurs in the late fall. Despite being in Florida many of the trees have shed their leaves and the collected in large pools on the pavement that surrounds my office. For a moment it almost looked like New Hampshire in October when the last of the fall colored leaves fall during a heavy rain. However, the humidity that accompanied the tropical storm erased any thoughts that I was in a more northerly location.
Surprisingly the weatherman was wrong and by late afternoon the rain began to taper off and the skies cleared a bit. The break in the rain was only temporary as after our little family was safe at home the outer bands of rain on the back-end of the storm crossed over Monticello. For all the build up of the tropical storm it turned out to be little more than a prolonged rainy day and I am thankful that it was not more severe.
Last night at 9:00 p.m. the National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning for our area of the coast. A tropical storm warning is issued when tropical storm conditions are expected within 24-hours. Originally they had it tracked on a more easterly course but the NWS is now anticipating it to hit somewhere on the Alabama coast.
I do not think that the storm will be anything other than a rainmaker by the time it gets to Tallahassee and Monticello. Just to be safe though I removed some small items from the porch that I did not want to get blown around this morning. Throughout the day it was a very dreary with clouds blanketing the sky.
Sitting in the living room earlier this evening I started to hear the rain come down. It was hitting the concrete behind the chimney with a slapping sound so I knew it was coming down at a good clip. I then walked to the back door and turned on the light. The rain was coming down in sheets and the dogs’ pool was overflowing.
Tomorrow it is supposed to rain all day. I am fine with Tropical Storm Ida dumping rain on us as long as it is less than the 23 inches Tropical Storm Fay left in her wake in August of 2008.
