Kathy from Valrico, Florida, USA

We stayed at the Serena Lodges - they were all very nice. The one in Samburu had a guard down by the river with a loaded rifle for wandering crocks and other animals. They had a beautiful open air lodge beautifully decked out (one time they had to kill an animal (don't remember what kind it was) that came in and killed a cook and rampaged the facility. The rooms were individual cottages with porches looking down over the river through a jungle atmosphere. At night it was dark walking down the paths to the cottages and an armed guard would escort you. It is ashamed that the camp was lost.

Thanks for the 'Jaime' pronunciation hint!

Thank you for the Birthday wishes Kathy,I had a busy but wonderful day.

Dear Kathy.

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Wishing You A Merry Christmas And A Very Happy New Year 2011.

G'day Kathy. Thank you so much for your birthday message. I know just how it is at this time of year - so very busy with Christmas things that birthdays at this time of year are easily overlooked. I'm getting to the stage that I'd be glad to forget my birthday, sometimes, but not today as I've had so many messages from some really great people.

I'd like to wish you and yours all the best for Christmas and the New Year.

Hi RKathy and Rob,
I just wanted to send season's greetings to you and all your loved ones. I know you celebrate Christmas, so I hope you enjoy the season and have a wonderful time, and my best wishes for a happy new year as well. Take care, enjoy, have fun and know you have friends out there thinking of you. Cheers!

Kathy, I'm so excited to hear about your plans for next year! Have a wonderful Christmas and healthy and happiness to you and your family in 2011.

Kathy & Rob - A most Happy Holiday to you and yours. Sending love and holiday hugs.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and yours from Grass Hopper Linda and Warren.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year, Kathy!
Wow! What a snow storm your family had!
Our snow melted today and it was over 50°F as we returned from ringing in the New Year with friends. Strange!

Happy New Year. When we visit, I hope I get the opportunity to see that hat. Is it anything like the one I wore in my Australia pictures? I realized my mistake while inserting the first pin ... don't get a leather hat for pins.

I don't remember him wearing it in SF. I now have 5 baseball hats and 2 hats with brims full of pins. Great hobby. Gives me a reason to go into the ever present gift shop. I left a message under the flickr picture.

Thanks for the birthday wishes Kathy. It's been a pretty relaxing day, although the plans for the faster internet (too far from the wireless tower) and golf (bad weather) have been thwarted.

You wanted the lyrics - Here they are...

http://www.mp3lyrics.org/l/lucky-starr/ive-been-everywhere/

Hi Kathy. Thanks for the concern about me during the floods.I live about 800 metres from the Burnett River and luckily we have a huge drop down to water level, so we were not flooded. I suppose you have seen the pix or TV showing the devastation caused to many parts of Queensland, and it isn't over yet. Maryborough and Gympie just south of us are next in line to cop it.
Hubby & I drove around town (before unable to) and could not believe how rapidly the river was flowing and how quickly it just flooded the lower areas.The mud laden water is not a pretty sight.
Many staff could not get through to work so it caused lots of problems.Luckily it is school holidays here so children were home.
All roads are now open around Bundaberg which was isolated for about 2-3 days.Various parts of the Bruce highway which stretches from Brisbane to Cairns are still blocked by floods though.
The rain continues to fall while I type but not nearly as heavily now.
Thanks again for your kind letter and thoughts.

Thank you for your kind words. I am enjoying being blond for the first time in my life. My hairdresser informs me it hides the grey regrowth better!!!!!

Dear Kathy.
Many thanks for your very kind and interest words.
In fact I am very sad to what happening in Egypt now.Even as you know I am now in USA but my Daughter and her husband are in Cairo and I am keeping contacting them every hour .
Kathy, let us pray to them that God protect them and return peace to my lovely Cairo.

Thanks, Kathy. Cole was not a rescue. I delivered him on May 28th, 1999, and fell deeply in love with him immediately. He was an extraordinary dog from the start.

Kathy - gorgeous shot of the snow...we are so warm and dry up here this winter - hope we still have some (snow) to come. Usually winter isn't over for us until there is snow on the daffodils.
I was reading that you enjoy non-fiction. Don't know if you read this before, but one of my favorites recently was "Devil in the White City".
A story of the World's Fair being built in Chicago at the same time as a serial killer makes it his home.

Gave Bissell over a week to respond to me and other than an automatic reply generated by a computer, I have not heard a word. Just about to begin my campaign against them...but have to get through hosting a dinner for 20 on Saturday first - then I can devote my time to sharing the truth of their ad scam. Thanks for supporting Tucci anyway!

Wedding plans for October! How exciting for Kyley and Paul ... and for all of you! And now you'll get to spend more time with the future MIL! Bless you all as the time approaches.

Hi, Kathy! Jaime and I are going to be in Florida from March 19 thru the 26th. We'll be staying on Hutchinson Island, just south of Ft. Pierce. I'll be meeting Tami and her Mom (and the whole family, actually!) for lunch or an early dinner on Sunday, March 20 somewhere in between Ft. Pierce and Ft. Lauderdale - possibly Palm Beach. Any chance you can join us? I also sent a message to Jim/Jupiter but haven't heard back from him. I don't know if Jaime will participate. It depends on how he's feeling.

Kathy - I just cut and pasted this from easy because you don't seem to be around anymore today.
Hello Kathy - Bailey has been coughing a lot at night and the doctor said he has pneumonia, poor little fella. I know what that's like, having it last year and it took me 10 weeks to shake it off.

The cyclone passed my daughter's place during the week and all schools, etc, were closed for a couple of days. They've also had a lot a rain this year and water holes and rivers are overflowing. Also roads closed so once again, the schools were closed.

Kathy, thank you for so gently passing on the word about Debby's son, it is never an easy task. ♥

Sorry I am a bit tardy with this but I have been having a bit of a busy time with re-roofing of the house etc.
Thank you so much for the birthday greetings, they do make celebrating getting older a pleasure.
Richard bought me my Tanzanite stone when we were in Key West in 2009.

Hey, Kathy. Sorry it's taken me so long to check my page messages. I notice inbox messages MUCH faster than my page messages. About the pavlova:

No, I didn't use Ceri's recipe because she didn't mention any starch, and my internet research told me that was an essential ingredient. I buy a modified food starch called perma-flo at a local bulk food store because it's a starch that actually holds up to home canning, so I can turn fruit into ready to serve pie filling. It also is a much more trustworthy starch for can't-fail pie fillings for freshly homemade fruit pies. I used the perma-flo and I can send you some if you'd like, or you can use corn starch, as in the recipe.

Let me look around to find the recipe I printed off the internet and then I'll send you another message!

Dear Kathy - I am sorry to hear you are "under the weather." I hope you are feeling better soon!

Hi Kathy - Very nice to hear from and your kind thoughts about are furry friend Toby. Shiela, you and I are all very lucky to know such a wonderful person as Debby. Debby has told us a lot about you. I must correct you on one thing, I am not a Michigan fan, I am a true blue NUT. Hope you are feeling better soon. GO BLUE!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Kathy. I hope I don't have what you have, but... I have spent the last three days down and out on the sofa, used almost a whole box of tissues and my skin hurts. I haven't been sick in ages!
(...I was supposed to be taking care of hubby after he got his wisdom tooth pulled on Thursday!)
I'm supposed to be helping my other DIL host a baby shower for the twins on the 19th. I have to be better by then! Sooner would be nice since it's to be at my house.

Kathy I have sent your comment on Ella's photo to Geoff and Chelsea and they were very pleased that you think so much of Ella.

Thank you Kathy, for your kind wishes, and yes the days, and now years do certainly go rushing by. When I was a little girl, I can remember my dear old Mum saying that each passing year seemed to go by faster, and I thought she was a 'bit strange', little did I know!
I had a wonderful day made even more special by the thoughts of my Sudoku friends, and a phone call from my daughter in London.
I am still around the site often on weekdays, but towards the end of the day, and a couple of hundred entries on easy are a bit daunting!! Nice to catch up with you though and Ta again, Bluey

Hello Kathy - your photos of the get together are lovely. I'm sure you all had a fabulous time.
thanks for sharing them with us all.

Hi Kathy, great to have you visiting, and I appreciated your comments! It's nice to "share" a bit of my life with new friends - glad you liked the photos. (Gee I really should put some more up!) I've made some lovely friends on this site. :D

Thanks No burns thank God though it would have been nice to get a new kitchen though. That is twice we have had ceiling high flames in this kitchen. The other was when the toaster malfunctioned about 20 years ago. I had the common to pick it up and throw it into the yard. That time made me quite ill for a few days as I was very pregnant with a difficult pregnancy and the fright elevated my blood pressure awfully. We all survived this and the previous occasion.

Did you get the e-mail I sent with the royal wedding pics?

Thanks, Kathy. We were hiking Colorado's newest National Monument, Canyon of the Ancients near Delores, west of Durango. Great hike,(I could even keep up, and that was at the beginning of my walking more), no crowds, and it is open pretty much year round. This was October.

Thank you so much for the lovely Birthday wishes.

Thanks for TOPPing page 13 for me! Your well-earned reward is a big slice of rhubarb cream (custard) pie with vanilla bean ice cream on the side. Delicious!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sRUfs6oGhdw/TdgPiBv2_JI/AAAAAAAAA1E/fsNGvMJfYqo/s1600/100_4015.JPG

Found the mouthwatering picture on the internet, but my homemade looks almost as nice without the lattice top (too much work unless it's for a fancy occasion). I hope I don't get into trouble copying someone else's fine picture into my flickr, but, thanks for your suggestion, it's now on my page for visitors to enjoy. Help yourself to seconds!