Friday:) Friends and May Picnic With Miss Pat and the Gang and My Firemen

“It’s funny how when you grow old together with old friends, no one seems to notice that we’re getting old.” 🤦‍♀️

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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We had such a perfect day for a picnic over by Miss Pat’s place. There are about eight friends that live in the apartment complex, and they host a spring picnic every year, and every year the weather is perfect. We also celebrate May birthdays. A few of our regulars couldn’t make it today, but we still had a nice crowd.

Fun! A few of us remembered to wear our matching “Friends” t-shirts.

It was a potluck and there was SO MUCH wonderful food.

We celebrated May birthdays for Will, Harriet, Doug and Patricia. There were only four huge cakes and dessert trays. Enough to feed an army.

Of course, I had to stop and share some of my famous lemon cupcakes with my friends over at Station 9. No one answered the phone in the hall, so I just went through the open bay doors where the team was out back doing drills. Chief Floyd was back there, so I said “Hi,” and told him that I left some cupcakes on the table inside. I think they should give Miss Toni a key for when they aren’t around. Don’t you think so?

Happy Friday, my friends. I hope you have a great start to a great weekend.

Friday:) Furry Friends and My Firemen

“Friends come in all shapes and forms. Some even have four furry feet.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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My little neighbor cat across the street always comes over to visit me. Sometimes when I’m driving into my driveway, he’s there waiting for me. He often tries to sneak in the garage or the front door. I always have to be on “Paw Patrol.”

“Pet me Miss Toni. I’ve been waiting by your front door all morning.

“Now, I will lay by your feet so you can’t move.”

On Valentine’s Day, I took a whole bunch of mini cupcakes over to Station 9. The Captain appreciated the treats.

Chief Tino was appreciative too. The funny part is, when I arrived at Station 5, the fire truck was screeching away, and I thought oh no. I missed them by a second. The good news was, I could see someone sitting at a desk through the glass windows. It was Batallion Chief Paredes. There’s a long story that goes along with that. But, he’s one of the good guys.

So, it was a good day, Happy Friday, my friends.

Friday:) Friends, Furry Friends, and My Firemen

“It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.”

Epicurus

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Today was a fine day for friends. My good friend Sherry is having a garage sale tomorrow, so her friend Julie and I went for a few hours to help her price things. She is selling the entire contents of her entire home. Yikes! There was still so much to do. I felt bad leaving. (I brought home some treasures.)

My little furry friends across the street like to greet me when I come home or go for a walk or water my yard or just open my door. They are so cute.

Then let’s not forget my fantastic firemen friends. Yes, life is good, my friends!

Happy Friday!

Friday:) Fun Fairies, Furry Friends, and My Firemen

“It is frightfully difficult to know much about the fairies, and almost the only thing for certain is that there are fairies wherever there are children.”
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

I wanted to tell you about visiting my friend Wendolin Mercado’s Studio and her little art campers over at The Art House. The children were making little fairy cottages from recycled plastic bottles and jars. I was impressed with their creativity. I was also honored because I had dropped of some of my recycled peanut jars and empty brownie boxes, and they were using some of them. Always nice to see trash to treasures. Wendolin is such an awesome teacher. I’ve taken a few classes with her before. I told her she needs to do this class with us old people.

Later, they added tiny cordless fairy lights around their fairy cottages.

Today was a fun afternoon with friends of all sorts. I had brunch with my old friends Zelda and Judy. I haven’t seen them ages. Afterwards, I stopped at church for Adoration and sketching. More on that tomorrow.

When I came home, little Sammi across the street came running to greet me and threw himself down at my feet, as he always does. He brushed up against me and crawled and wove in and out until I succumbed and rubbed his belly and scratched his ears. This is a daily ritual.

We play this, try and walk with kitten slippers game all the time.

Well, I made some brownies today, so that meant a stop at Station 9. The weird part is, the minute I picked up the house phone, the loud speaker said, “Code 3 Ambulance call at……” The address was two doors down from my house. Captain McDaniel opened the door at the same time as the call. I asked, “Did you just get a call?” He answered that they did. I handed him the box of brownies, snapped a picture and said thank you, as he rushed off. I followed the ambulance home. It pulled up two doors down. I stood there a bit, but I didn’t see who was taken away. I sure hope everyone is ok. 🙏

Thank you McKinney PD for all you do. Today, it was a little too close to home, literally.

Friday Fulminations, My Firemen, and Some Feathered Friends

“Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.”

Michael Caine

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So, we have had SO much rain lately that I told a few friends that I was running up to Home Depot to pick up a lot of lumber and start building the ARK. Now, how to gather all the animals two by two is another story. Well, most people know my weird sense of humor, or lack there of. Miss June gave me a funny look while she pondered how I planned on building an Ark. she got it after a little reflection.

I almost had a head start this morning when I was walking the dog in the rain. A few friendly ducks were across the street waddling around on the neighbors front lawn. Plenty of water around.

Now for the fulminations. I stopped at my fire station with some brownies this afternoon.

A few minutes after the young man went back to check on my other empty containers from the previous weeks, one of the captains came out to talk to me.

“Sorry Miss Toni. We aren’t able to accept homemade treats yet. The other guys didn’t realize that the chiefs are frowning upon and are insisting that no homemade food be brought in. Not even from home or their souses. It’s a safety issue with Covid . Pre-packaged items are ok. But, we have your number and you’ll be the first one we call when we get the ok.”

Well, back to my packaged tortilla chips, canned beans, and Bernard’s Salsa. “”Sigh.”

Happy Friday, my friends.

Friday:) From Holy Family School and a Few Firemen

“Everyone is hoping to get back to normal, but I’m thinking maybe the old normal wasn’t such a good thing.”

~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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It’s been several months since Helene and I visited our friends over at Holy Family School. We both had several bags to share with the adorable children. Helene also had a huge 18 count box of Kraft Mac and Cheese. Their favorite lunch. We knew we couldn’t see the children, but we put on our masks and drove over to take our donations, now that the school is open. It was wonderful that the school has been able to care for infants and children of first responders and medical personnel. ❤️

I also made a quick stop to visit my friends over at Fire Station 9. They still weren’t able to accept homemade brownies or cookies, but I thought they could use some Powerade for these really hot days. The young fireman that answered the door was very appreciative. I had my mask on, so I mumbled to him, “You guys are all getting so skinny. I’ll keep checking to see when you can have some brownies.”

It was nice to get back to a little of our old sharing and caring routine. It still wasn’t back to normal, just smiling behind a mask, but pretty close.

When things finally do get back to normal, I hope things are a better normal.

I hope you all have a better than normal Friday. Cheer, my friends.

Friday:) Friends, Faith, Fiery Skies, and My Firemen

“I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you’re grateful, you’ll see God open up new doors.”

~Joel Osteen

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Friday again! How did that happen? Where do the days go? I left the house this morning around 11:20 to go to Zumba at theYMCA and didn’t get home till after 6pm. After Zumba, I rode the redundant bike for a couple of miles. (One time Mom called it the redundant bike, and I can’t get that funny name out of my head. So funny and appropriately named.) Then, I met Helene at Palio’s for lunch and had a nice long lunch and visit.

Miss Pat had called me during lunch and had a computer question, so I stopped at her place to see if I could help. It was an easy fix. Plus, I had some butter and eggs to give her for her massive cookie baking war chest. Another nice visit. By now, it was after 4pm and I still needed to stop and water plants for my vacationing friend, then over to Walmart to buy a 12 volt battery that I needed to replace at home.

I was driving down Stonebridge drive when I remembered that St. Gabriel has all day Adoration on Thursday and Friday. I stopped into the sanctuary for a quiet prayer before going to the chapel for Adoration. I love this alone private time when I’m the only one there.

There were several people in the back chapel for Adoration with the Eucharist on display. I closed my eyes and said a rosary. It’s been a while since I’ve said the rosary. I keep a one decade rosary in my purse at all times. You never know when you need one, right?

Scooting to Walmart was my next stop. It wasn’t too crowded. I was sad to see that the back to school supplies were already out. Come on, it’s July! Scouring the shelves for my 12 volt battery had me asking a nearby clerk stocking the shelves where they were. They don’t carry them. 😔 Unfortunately, I found a lot of other things that I didn’t need, filling my cart to the brim.

I went to the check out lines where they only had two real live people checking, and the lines were long with loaded up carts. The rest of the lanes were self check-out only. I hate to use them because it seems like those dang machines are putting people out of work. They used to have at least eight cashiers at all times, now only two. Where are those other six people? Out of work! That’s where they are, and those folks didn’t make all that much to begin with. But, I didn’t want to wait an hour in line, so I went to the self check-out,

Who was in front of me scanning a zillion items under the bar code reader but my dear friend Sherry Joplin? I would have taken a selfie, but she was fuming mad at Walmart. She had put all her MANY items on the counter after waiting in a long line with a cashier, then I think something happened, and she had to put all her stuff back in the cart and go to self check-out. She had just gotten back from vacation and had to stock up. She was flustered. After a few mumbled possible expletives, we hugged. We chatted a few minutes about her fun vacation and grand babies and such. Then she said, “Thanks for calming me down.” Which is funny because Sherry is the most laid-back, mild mannered sweetie pie in the world.

So, a busy fun day. I went for a walk later before the sun went down. I love the sunsets. Look at this great sunset. I stopped at Mr. Mike’s to walk Bella and ask him about my 12 volt battery. He ordered me one from Amazon. He has Prime and it will be here tomorrow. Cool!

Now for my firemen. I did a lot of baking this week, so I was able to stop at three different stations with my famous candy bar brownies.

Happy Friday, My friends.

Friday Friends, Firemen, and a Fiery Sunset

“There’s something special about a heartfelt hello and a smile. It can brighten up your day.”

~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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For some reason, today didn’t feel like Friday. My days are getting all discombobulated. I set my alarm for 7:30, walked over to pick up Bella, then took a quick one mile walk before starting my day. I was meeting my friend Linda for breakfast at 10.

I stopped over at Fire Station 9 on my way with cookies and cake that Miss Pat made for karaoke last night. She always tells me to take the leftovers to my firemen.

I picked up the outside phone and said, “Hi, it’s Miss Toni with some cookies.” I was greeted at the door and escorted back into the kitchen to pick up my previous container. I had to smile as I walked down the hallway past each office. Every doorway I passed, I saw a smile and heard a cheerful, “Hi Miss Toni!” It’s kinda like the TV show Cheers. You want to go where everyone knows your name.” They not only know my name, they feel like family. Nice way to start my day.

I met Linda for breakfast and we spent a good four hours talking, sharing grand-baby pictures on our phones, and catching up.

The rest of the day flew by. I walked the dog again and went for another solo walk, stopping to visit with my neighbor Allison. She invited me into the garage to check out some of her cool Goodwill treasure finds that she’s going to turn into yard ornaments. I was offered a glass of wine. How could I resist? Just one glass and some good conversation. I didn’t stagger home this time. Actually, I continued my walk so I could catch a few late evening sunset pictures. I love sunsets.

Happy Friday, my friends.

Friday:) Fun, Friends, and a Few Firemen

“It only takes a few friends, a few smiles, and a lot of love to make the world go round.”

~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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Last night was our regular get together for karaoke at Delaney’s Irish Pub. Miss Loretta had suggested that we do a little song routine for a friend. Last month we paid a tribute to Jerry, singing, with “The Way You Wear Your Hat.” Last night, we thoroughly embarrassed Doug, by sitting him in a chair and singing our version of “My Guy” to him. Our rendition was “Our Guy.” Everyone had fun, no one more so than our friend Doug.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RddF7PjPMEQ

Miss Pat, our resident “Cookie Lady” always shows up with a few plates of her yummy homemade cookies. The left over cookies usually find their way over to my friendly firemen at Station 9. Thank you Miss Pat.

Friday:) Fun on the Square and McKinney’s Finest Firemen

“Friends… they cherish one another’s hopes. They are kind to one another’s dreams.”

~Henry David Thoreau

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Wow! A fun busy Friday for Miss Toni. I started off with a heart pumping zumba class at the Y. Then, I picked up Helene, and we headed off to the Square. First, we stopped at the Art Studio to drop off my auction bowl for Empty Bowls, then over to St. Peter’s to drop off 25 event bowls. (More about the bowls another time.)

Did I mention it was a gorgeous day? 77 degrees, sunny, and a tiny breeze.

Helene and I walked around the Square, stopped for lunch at Snug, and stopped in a few shops.

Bay Willow Design is always a fun stop. Owner of the trendy millenary shop, and good friend, Jenny Foster, was busy reorganizing displays. But, she took time to stop and chat, showing Helene around the awesome shop.

Way in the back, I saw a couple cool artist friends, Leslie and Andrea. They were working on website designs.

Andrea, on the right, suggested we stop at Patina Green to see her bird paintings that she just installed. Oh, for sure.

Aren’t those cool? Those are individual wooden plaques, taking up an entire wall.

We stopped at the Antique Mall, and after a lot of browsing, I found a small white porcelain heart shaped box to paint this Christmas. I’m always on the look out for a white surface to paint bluebonnets for Mr. Dan’s dead wife who isn’t really dead. Some of you know that story. Too, long for this. I told Helene, and she laughed. So, when I checked out at the counter, I told the two ladies wrapping up the box, “I have a great story for you. I bought this to paint bluebonnets on for Mr. Dan’s dead wife.” Then, I told them the story. They laughed, and I think I made their day.

By the time I took Helene home and parked in the garage, it was almost 5 pm. I took a ten minute break, talked to my sister on the phone, then headed out for a walk. I just checked my walking app. 3.7 miles today.

It was still so beautiful out, so I decided to trim the front bushes after my walk. I had to quit when it got too dark to see, but I got a lot trimmed. I had the windows open all evening because it was cool and 68 in the house and 77 outside. Great day!

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Now, for my friendly neighborhood firemen. I stopped over to Station 9 on Wednesday, but I like to share my Firemen stories for Friday, just because I like alliteration. Wednesday morning on my way home from church, I noticed that several fire trucks and vehicles from other stations were over at station 9, so I decided to bake a double batch of brownies so there would be plenty to share. They were doing special training, and I’m sure would appreciate a little sweet treat after lunch. The hard part was that I had decided to fast all day on Ash Wednesday, so I didn’t even lick the spoon or taste test the crunchy edges,

I always get a big smile and a cool photo op. Oh, they also save my containers from the previous drop off. Everyone knows Miss Toni and knows to save my containers. One time, one of the veteran firemen told a new guy, “Oh, we have that in our fire fighter handbook. Save Miss Toni’s container.” Hmm? That just might be true. Ha!

Happy Friday my friends. Time to fix my Black Russian. It is Friday, after all!