“Florida is a state of mind,” was the heading of an article in the Tampa Bay Tribune today by writer Steve Otto. The story complained about California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comment that “Florida is for old people.” Mr. Otto wrote to debunk the myth that only old folks inhabit Florida by pointing out that it’s a big draw for families and has many wonderful features.
He is right, but I do see Florida as a place where a lot of the people are older. My view is skewed. I am in a 55+ community, yet I agree with him completely, “Florida IS a state of mind.”
It’s a “feel-good” place. It’s a place where citizens are quick to make lasting friendships. It’s a place where folks from all U.S. regions blend into a wonderful cohesive community.
Sun City Center, our community, is a place where folks sing out to “Sweet Caroline” and do the arm gestures to “Y-M-C-A” at our weekly Rockin Rendezvous gathering without feeling self-conscious. It’s a place where 90 year olds get out and shake their booty with abandon. It’s a place where we all show up on a hot day at the pool in bathing suits despite our body type. It’s a place where this Friday I witnessed lots of “old folks” on stage dancing “show-girl style” in “the Follies” and we paid $12 each to witness their performances which we felt was a bargain price!
Florida is a place where those who are advanced in age feel years younger than “up north.”
I feel the years fall away when I’m here. Florida is definitely a state of mind.
This is the third year John and I have attended “the Follies,” a stage production featuring local talent from the Sun City Center, FL, area.
There were quite a few excellent vocalists, and lots of dancers (tap, clogging, and show dancing). Since this is a “senior citizen” community, most of the performers are well over 55. In fact, I’m guessing that many of those in the chorus lines are in their 80’s.
We were impressed with their energy. And, some of those ladies had dern good looking legs. You can see what I mean.
The funds raised from ticket sales to these shows provide college scholarships for kids studying “the arts.”
Many of the vocalists have had professional training in their “earlier” life. Surprising, none have that “old” quality to their voices. They are all vibrant and enjoyable.
The chorus lines wouldn’t compete with Las Vegas showgirls, but they can still move and their legs are still impressive.
We enjoy our condo but we’re realizing that there are some changes we’d like to make.
The master bathroom is John’s biggest complaint because the vanity is small. It drives John crazy. We’ve actually thought that we might be wise to look for a condo that resolved that problem, and other short-comings of our condo.
It does need new appliances in the kitchen, we’d like to tile most of the condo (except for the bedrooms), and maybe expand our lanai.
We don’t need to do anything immediately, but we might eventually make some revisions.
I took our floor plan and figured out a way to expand the bathroom by taking two feet from the “office” and including a small pantry into the bathroom area. We could then have a bigger vanity, still have a large shower, and ample room for the toilet. We’d then build in a desk with storage cabinets in the office area which would make that are more efficient than it is now. The kitchen would be enhanced by moving the refrigerator to the right (see the plan) and making the current refrigerator area into a large pantry. Along the bare wall where the refrigerator would be moved, we could add more kitchen cabinets. (Neighbors have added kitchen cabinets along that wall.)
It would be lots easier to make these changes than to move again. Of course the bathroom is only part of the problem. We also need to replace the carpet with tile, and our windows leak air. But if we fix the bathroom, that would take care of a major problem. Nevertheless I’ll watch for available condos to see what’s out there.
I realize that down here in Florida, we’re always anticipating a good time and fun with friends. We are “anticipation” junkies.
We always have stuff on the horizon. It’s never more than a day or two from an event we’re anticipating.
True, the weather has been cold and lousy, but we always know that, in a few days, we’ll do something noteworthy.
Tomorrow we have a condo owners center-of-the-court meeting. Thursday we have Rockin Rendezvous and Friday the Follies. Sunday we’re invited to a Super Bowl party at Brenda’s and John’s. Monday we have a Pelican Players election and meeting.
Next week some of our northern friends are coming down and will arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday and leave Thursday.
I wish we lived at this tempo year round. But I know that, if we were here in June, July and August, we’d complain that “everyone’s up North.”
So we’ll do it the way we’ve been doing it – about six months in Michigan and six months here. We divide it up fairly equally. Starting with the winter months we stay four months here in FL. We arrive in mid-December just before Christmas. and stay until mid-April, then five summer months in MI (mid-April until mid-September), two fall months in FL (mid-September until mid-November), one fall-winter month in MI (mid-November until mid-December.) That’s our year = 12 months.
Life is never dull. We love the excitement of up-coming events on our calendar. Life’s great!
We went out to dinner Friday night with KP friends (Mel and Jean). They had us over for a glass of wine before we headed to the restaurant and we got to see their lovely condo. They’ve made some changes to theirs that gave us some ideas.
We’ve kind of decided that, rather than making changes to ours, we’ll more than likely sell this place and buy something larger with all the bells and whistles. We’d like a larger master bathroom, enclosed lanai, more storage, and newer appliances.
Our condo is very nice, but we know, if we ever sell our Saginaw place, we’ll definitely want one that is bigger down here. We would probably have a tough time selling ours now without taking a beating so now is not the time. But when things start moving, we’ll start looking. We’ll try to stay on top of the economy and keep our eyes open.
Saturday (yesterday) we were busy all day. Got up fairly early and headed out. Stopped at Bealls for a little shopping and then drove on to Temple Terrace to the Big Top Flea Market. I got a lovely orchid. We headed back to Brandon to pick up a prescription at Costco. At noon, we stopped at Goodson’s Farms for a wonderful strawberry shortcake.
Last night we went to the Michigan Club Dinner Dance. It was a fun evening. We sat at a couple with three other couples. The decorations were really out-standing, the food good. It was a nice evening.
Today is a lazy day. Too cool for the pool, nothing needs to be done. I’ve been updating websites, and doing laundry. Wish it would warm up for an extended period. We get two or three days of warm weather, and then it cools down into the 60’s for a few days. Seems it’s been a consistent pattern that will continue for the next few weeks. Bummers.
Good day to work in the yard. We clipped off some of the frost-damaged plants but then tonight the newspaper and a tv program said Florida home-owners should wait until mid-February to do any trimming. We’re waiting to tackle our bougainvillea plants. They were so lovely but now they’re dead looking. I’m sure they’ll recover. We want to “trim them back” too but we’ll wait to see how they do.
Because I’ve had the http://dulcimers.com website for many years, I’ve become a spokesperson for the ODPC Evart Funfest. I’ve been fortunate to be able to introduce lots of folks to our great event(s). I try to make sure they feel welcome, and always recommend that they “look me up” when they get to the festival. One question generally comes up when I’m dealing with these folks I have yet to meet. They’ll say, “How will I know you when I see you?”
My response has been: “I’ll be the small lady with the dark hair wearing a big hat and a long skirt.” That look has been my trademark. I was easy to spot.
But over the years I’ve tired of long skirts. I now wear capris or shorts a good share of the summer. My hair isn’t as dark and I’m certainly not as small.
But my hats, although I no longer take a gazillion to the festival, are still part of my “look.”
Here in Florida, I wear big hats at the pool. I don’t wear them other times, but at the pool they serve to keep the sun off my face.
Today I went to a dermatologist (at the insistence of a friend who said that “as much time as you spend at the pool, you should be checked for sun damage.” ) The doctor said I’ve been doing something right.
I have always thought I had kind of ugly skin but this doctor praised it. (And wow Dr. Patrick is cute. Way too young, but very good looking!)
I told him that I wear big hats and make-up with a spf 20, and we are careful not to get burned. He said I should continue doing whatever I’ve been doing. My big hats paid off.
I rewarded myself with two new ones.
We also brought home five new large plants from Home Depot to help make the backside of our condo look better. When we have them planted, I’ll post a before and after photo comparison here. I’m sure you’ll agree that the plants, the new light fixture, and the replaced back door make the golf course side of our condo look unbelievably better. (It was the pits when we bought it!)
I should mention that yesterday we had a couple and a single friend mention to us that they’d like to visit us in February and March. Having a condo in a lovely Florida community with an empty guest room is a good formula for popularity. Hope they like it as much as we do.
We’ve had the kind of January weather that only Florida can brag about: Sunshine, moderate temperatures, but some heavy rain and moderate humidity.
Today promises to be 78 with lots of sunshine. We had considered going to Busch Gardens but decided to wait until Wednesday when it’ll be sunny but cool (60’s). Today will be a pool day.
We went to a nice Tuesday evening Kings Point Dance Club dance and sat with three other couples. It was a very pleasant evening.
Wednesday John had a re-do of his six-minute walking test but this time took into consideration his poor finger circulation when putting the oximeter on his finger. The best flow seemed to be his pinky and he aced the test, actually doing better at the end of six minutes than at the beginning.
Thursday evening at Rockin Rendezvous, we enjoyed the company of Brenda and John and Brenda’s adorable 82 year old mother as well as several other friends. It was a fun evening. Too loud, but really a good time.
Friday we had a condo association meeting in the morning.
We’ve been at the pool most afternoons for the last half of the week. The weather keeps getting nicer. Today and tomorrow should top it off perfectly. We may have cooler weather early next week before it goes back into the 70’s. Admittedly I haven’t been going in the water, but instead enjoying the sunshine. Today I hope to be floating around the pool on my “noodle.” Life doesn’t get much better than that!
I wanted to mention the frost damage which is obvious around our part of Florida.
The grass is totally brown, many shrubs have been damaged and look dead. There are no flowers. Hibiscus and bouganvilla were especially hard hit. My poinsetta is half dead. But sadder, there are no geckos. (Those are the little lizards properly called brown anoles.) Usually they scurry ahead of us as we walk down the sidewalks, but they are missing. I know they’ll come back, but I miss their presence.
We haven’t had any love-bugs. Either the frost or the season, but I’m sure they’ll return too. Even the ants were killed off.
After working on the Original Dulcimer Players Club invitation to workshop leaders letter (I’m the workshop leader chairman), we got on our golf cart and headed into Sun City Center about 10:45 this morning….”the Sale” was on. We didn’t buy any real bargains, but it’s always fun looking. We had our lunch at Mickey-D’s, did some grocery shopping, and headed home. By about 1:30 we were at the pool. It was sunny, mid 70’s and glorious. We saw friends who we’d missed since April, and we relaxed. (We read and then nearly fell asleep which isn’t something I usually do during the day.)
Oh, I nearly forgot to mention last night’s Kings Point Dance Club dance at the main clubhouse. It was a very nice evening. We danced to good music. It was fun. John, who has limited breathing abilities, did a great job. We weren’t “up to speed” because dancing takes conditioning, but we did ok.
Our table of four couples will continue to be seated together. They’re a good, compatible bunch. Hope we get to know them better. Next month is the KPDC “formal” dinner dance. Men are encouraged to wear white dinner jackets or tuxes and ladies formal dresses. Unless we go shopping, I don’t have a formal dress nor does John have a dinner jacket/tux, but we’ll make do. I’ll wear a black ankle length dress with a lightly sequined elegant top. John has a new black suit. We won’t be as high end as some, but I’m sure we’ll be acceptable.
I finally put the finishing touches on http://dulcimers.com. Everything is working. I love the teal color scheme, (but I can switch to 23 different colors.)
This morning John and I went to “the sale” (the “Nearly New” fund raiser that is open Wednesday and Saturday mornings.) No big purchases. John got a quality duffle bag, I found a black two-piece cardigan/shell set. I also bought five more soft-cover books ($1 for five). On our way home, we stopped at Taco Bell and were back at the condo by 12:30. We had planned to go to the pool, but it looked like it was going to rain, so we watched a movie instead. After the movie, it still hadn’t rained so I walked to the pool. It was empty. I read my book and relaxed. Back home by 4:00. Football playoffs will occupy John today and tomorrow.
So nothing exciting happened. Barely enough to waste the key strokes describing. If things don’t get more exciting, I’ll have to start making up reports.
But just getting outside, even in the golf cart, is refreshing. Monday it’ll only be 65, but most of the next 15 days will be high 60’s to high 70’s. I can take it.
Next on the agenda: Get some plants for the back-side of the condo. Trim away the frost damage. Find the right furniture for the end of the living room.
I helped Diane, my artist friend, start her website. I felt a little overwhelmed because she’s sharp as they come and I usually work by “trial and error.” But our two-hour session flew by. She left with lots of instructions. I am sure, with patience, she’ll be successful.
After Diane left, we headed to the pool and soaked up some sunshine. Had a lengthy conversation with Dotty, a recent widow. I’d like to get to know her better. It was in the low 70’s but by 4:00 it had cooled down, so we went back home. But even a couple of hours in the sun will help us break out of our “cabin fever” mode. Tomorrow it should be about 77 but then rain later in the day.
John has a noon-time appointment tomorrow with his pulmonologist’s physician assistant. I really think the sunshine would help him more than the P.A. but he’ll meet with her and I’ll be there to make sure he digests her instructions.
Sadly my daughter, Kelly, today let me know she’s being “laid off” from her managerial job at the YMCA in the Monterey Peninsula, CA. She’s been there for 15 years, but the whole place is being reorganized (to save money). She’s such a great young woman. I’m sure she, and her husband, Dave, will find a way, but in this economy, being out of work is tough.
By the way, last night’s Rockin’ Rendezvous was a ball. We sat with some of our favorite friends including Brenda & John, Pauline & Nick. Marlene & Jim and Ellie & Joe. What a fun bunch. An evening like that makes us 10 years younger.
We’re still going by car, not golf cart. Even though it had warmed up some, today was a tad too cool to go in an “open air vehicle.”
We went to “the sale” this a.m. Didn’t buy anything except five novels for $1. John did better. He got a brand new jacket for $4 and a few other items. It was nice to be back in the swing. We hit Publix and a few other stores but we were home before noon. Nothing great. Nothing exciting.
This evening, we’d planned to go to Ruskin. We were supposed to pick up a prescription from our vet and then go to the Elks Club for spahetti dinner but somehow it got messed up so when we called the vet we found the script wouldn’t be ready to pick up. We therefore cancelled our spahetti dinner plans and just stayed home. Our dinner was better here anyway (John is a wonderful cook) so I’m not complaining. We’ll get Willow’s prescription tomorrow. But it won’t be spaghettii!
I spent a good share of the day cleaning. Even in “sunny Florida” our condo requires some “up-keep.” I hate cleaning. I’d love a full-time house-keeper, but for now, the job falls to me and today I took time and did a good job on 1/2 of the condo. Tomorrow I’ll finish it.
Tomorrow night Rockin’ Rendezvous. Love Thursdays!
Lazy day. Got up with frost so heavy it looked like snow. Temps in the 20’s. We watched a couple of TV movies while I worked on my computer, straightening out a couple of glitches and setting a couple of pages up on my site.
Tonight at 5:00 a karaoke evening started at the South Club. It was fun. We had Philly cheese steak sandwiches and enjoyed a fun time listening to talented folks.
We were home before 7:00. Nice night.
The folks at Kings Point are so nice. As an example, tonight there were vocalists who were totally “off-key” but they were warmly appreciated. Folks just aren’t critical.
I had a Michigan friend mention that she’d love coming to visit us but she felt she was too out of shape to go to the pool. Heck, at our pool no one notices a paunch. No one cares about a couple dozen pounds over-weight…. or 50 or 100. She’s in the wrong mind-set if she thinks anyone cares. In fact it almost seems too prideful to think anyone would care.
I love the attitude down here because everyone is appreciated for the person they are. It is evident that folks aren’t hung up on size, shape or the ability to hit a key when singing karaoke.
This afternoon we went to the Pelican Players’ potluck. It was good to get out of the house and, although the entertainment had mixed reviews, it was a nice event.
I’d worked on my website revisions all afternoon and additionally I’m trying to get prepared to help an artist friend (Diane Simon) create a distinctive, high-end website. So I was busy all day. John was bored.
It’s only been a high into the 40’s for the past few days but it should warm up by the weekend. Can’t wait.
We have several commitments this week. Tomorrow it’s a karaoke evening at the club house and then on Wednesday we have “the twice as nice sale” (which has been cancelled several times because of rainy and cold weather). Thursday we have a Rockin Rendezvous. Friday, I’ll meet with Diane to help her with her website. All it all it should be a busy and fun week.
The dance today went on without us. Football won out. John wanted to watch the playoff games so we stayed in. Somehow venturing out when it’s 30-40 in Florida isn’t very inviting. Tonight… cold again. But the forecast out about a week shows much anticipated improved temperatures.
Besides working on my computer most of my time, we also went to John’s new pulmonary specialist (Dr. Graves) Tuesday. He was better than we could have hoped for. We were really impressed with him. (I wish we could take him back to Michigan with us.)
He actually talked about John’s disease (which is something his Michigan doctor never does). Dr. Graves said that Prednisone shouldn’t be helping John as much as it is so he wonders if the diagnosis is accurate. He is having John’s biopsy sent to the Mayo Clinic and he’ll review the blood tests which have been done.
We were feeling great after hs first comments but then he had John do a 6-minute walk test and John’s oxygen levels fell into the 70’s.
The doctor then ordered an oxygen generator for John at night. That really crushed John’s optimism. All of the sudden, he felt things are really getting worse.
Because of my computer problems, I haven’t have as much time to keep up this blog.
We did have a good time Thursday night at our weekly Rockin Rendezvous at the clubhouse. All of our Florida friends were back and it was a fun time. We saw Susie S., Richard, Bill and Donna, Brenda and John, Pauline and Nick, Evelyn and Joe, and it was fun to feel that everyone was “back.”
Friday morning we tried a Yoga class which was a tad too advanced for us.
Next week we have a potluck Monday, a Club house karaoke event on Tuesday, Thursday we’ll have another Rockin Rendezvous, and Friday we’ll return to yoga.
Tomorrow we may go to a dance class.
I hope the activity next week will elevate John’s mood. With the cold weather curtailing the outside stuff we look forward to, he has cabin fever. He doesn’t mind Michigan but he is bored by Florida when the weather is lousy.
Tuesday I was able to get my Vista/Vaio system on my computer totally restored, but that only means my computer had gone back to original factory settings with no programs installed at all.
It’s taken me four additional days to get all additional programs I use re-installed. That’s what took the time. I’m now for all purposes 100% up.
I carry a box of DVDs/CDs and paperwork for reinstalling programs, but some programs (like MailWasher, Pegasus, Arles Website program, and others) require that I get a new registration key and start with a fresh download.
Every download takes time. I keep accurate records of purchase dates, and the email address used when I bought the original copy.
I wish I could pass on all I’ve learned from this computer crash, but it’s tough to pass on all I now know.
My fresh promises. I will keep current back-ups of all “files”. For CDs/DVD programs, I’ll keep matching registration keys. I’ll make sure I also keep a copy of my “desktop.” (It’s hard to remember all the programs you run.) I’ll make sure I create frequent “restore points.” I’ll make any back up disks recommended by my computer manufacture.
I have my “favorites” on Internet Explorer but not on Google Chrome.
I realize there’s one program I haven’t heard from (my registry program) but I’m happy and if nothing else is available, I’m content.
I got a price of $80-$120 from a repair person to work with the hard drive and restore the data to DVD back-ups but then I’d have to re-install all the programs and add the data from the back-ups. I figured I can do that myself.
So I got busy and downloaded all the stuff I was missing from December 8th which was the last time I did a back-up. (I found the way to get into the hard-drive and copy it to DVDs and CDs.)
I backed it all up and now I’m re-formatting.
John watched with me as it flashed through the screens. I’d hold my breath to see if it would work. (Sometimes it did and sometimes I had to start over.) When it worked, we’d both let out a celebratory yell. He got an idea of what a rush it is when things work correctly.
Even though this whole process has used up a lot of time, I will probably end up with a computer that is works more smoothly.
Now I have current (as of yesterday a.m.) back-ups of everything that was on my computer including my desktop which includes all the programs I use so I’ll know what needs to go back on the hard drive). It’ll take major time, but it won’t take long to get the basic stuff up.
I’ve also restored most everything to John’s computer (my old one), so I can use it until things are working correctly.
This sort of activity does stretch your mind. And I understand, it helps to keep you younger and more alert.
My Sony Vaio has purred along for a little over a year. In fact the service plan I had with the purchase ended the 26th of December.
This morning I worked a bit on line and updated the ODPC site and did a few other things before I decided to check and see if I was up-to-date on my Windows Vista updates. (I have it set for automatic up-dates but sometimes, for some reason, the up-date doesn’t install correctly.) There was a suggested up-date for Windows Internet Explorer and also a Windows Vista up-date. After the download and install, as normally happens, the computer asked re-start to finish the install.
It wouldn’t re-start. That was about 10:30. It still hasn’t started.
I have a call into a local computer service to see if they can offer a suggestion.
Unfortunately, because I’d been busy, I hadn’t bothered to do a back-up.
It looks like the only thing I’ll really lose are my holiday photos, and this month of up-dates to my calendar.
I know I should have backed up my computer. I just grew complacent because everything was working so well. Dern!!!
Today was the last day for the Busch Gardens Holiday Ice Show and last weekend for the rest of their holiday presentations. We’d wanted to go on the 23rd, but Willow wasn’t well enough to leave for the day. She’s much better now, so we decided to go. I’m so glad we did. The shows were exceptional.
We planned out our day: lunch at the Dessert Grill while enjoying their holiday variety show, then at 2:15 we’d go to the ice show. On our way home we’d get John’s electric bike which had been “on order.”
The day started out comfortable at about 65-67. I had on a light sweater, but was actually a little too warm. John wore a long sleeved shirt over a tee shirt, but he shed the long sleeved shirt for most of the morning. But while we were going to “the Grill” it started raining and really came down. (Luckily we had umbrellas.) By the time we’d left the variety show, the temperatures had dropped 10+ degrees. It stopped raining before we went to the ice show, but it got even cooler.
John had his long sleeved shirt back on, but he could have used the heavier jacket he’d left in the car. I had added light a jacket but was still chilly. We left about 3:00, cold and damp.
We got John’s bike and did some other shopping. We were home before dark.
I’m really glad we went to the shows. Both were first class. The costuming was excellent and the talent exceptional
We always sit near the front. (We were in the center of the fourth row for the ice show and at the first table for the variety show.) During the variety show, an attractive Marilyn Monroe-style vocalist stopped at our table and sang to John. She ran her fingers through John’s hair and really messed it up. He loved it! Pays to get there early and get good seats.
John and I spent the day at the pool with friends. It was a fun place to be and the temperatures, although they fluctuated, ended up in the mid-70’s, lots of sunshine, and very comfortable. I walked both to and from the pool. (Good exercise.)
We came back about 4:30 and by 6:00, after a light dinner, we headed to the South Club for a New Year’s Eve celebration. None of our close friends were present so we didn’t stay long. A couple hours of drinking, dancing and “celebrating” and we were ready to head home.
We’re here now. It’s 9:00 and we’re watching TV. The door is open and a nice breeze is coming in from outside. It’s about 65 out there.
Last night with the heat on and the setting at about 62, the heat came on several times. John moved the thermostat setting up a few degrees when he got up. I think it was probably set at about 70. Today, it warmed up outside, but with everything closed, I was oblivious. Finally, early in the afternoon, I opened the doors and realized it was warm enough to go to the pool so the heat was shut off. Most of the afternoon, I left the door open, and soon it was 76 in the condo, so I turned the A/C on.
At this time the heat temp is back on but it’s only set to 61. It’s still 74 in here so nothing is running. But I’d love a system like our car which just automatically switches and keeps you at a temperature without having to decide if it’ll require heat or A/C to achieve that temp.
Over night tonight the low is heading into the mid-50’s. (No heat nor air required overnight.) Tomorrow it should be warm (mid to high 70’s), so I want to go to the pool (A/C? Maybe?), but by evening it’ll be chilly. (Maybe it won’t require heat because it’ll only be about 61 for a low.)
New Year’s Day it’ll only be a high of 64 but a low of 41. The heat will definitely be back on by the 1st, and I can guess that it won’t be off until at least after the 8th of January. We need a programmable thermostat. Low of about 60-63 over night. High of about 70 when on heat, and about 76 for an A/C setting.
Last night we had a good time at the South Club while folks karaoke’d. We would never take the mic ourselves, but it’s fun watching others and sometimes the whole place “got into it.” Tunes like “Sweet Caroline” and “16 Tons” had everyone singing.
Today, I hope we can put up the second fan. (We took a break yesterday.) John didn’t sound as if he was interested when I suggested the fan installation, but hopefully he’ll change his mind.
It’s actually quite nice out. Maybe we should pretend it’s warm enough and go to the pool.
Tomorrow (New Year’s Eve) we’ll go back to the South Club to bring in the New Year. If we get tired before midnight, we won’t have anything invested. It’s just a Rockin’ Rendezvous evening. They should have the grill going so we can eat there, have a drink or two, and dance a little. If nothing is happening, we can go home.
Then on Friday (January 1st), we’ll go to Busch Gardens. It’s the last day for their ice show and Christmas shows so we want to be sure to go to it.
We were going to go before Christmas but Willow was so ill that we were afraid to leave her. She’s now much better and we feel we can go for the day.
John installed one of our two new ceiling fans today. The other one will be installed tomorrow.
The ceiling fans, which were in place were perfectly adequate, but they were like the thousands of other fans the construction company installed when they built these condos. The light fixtures in the dining rooms, the fans, and several other items are “standard.” You go into any of the condos in Kings Point, and you’ll see the same ceiling fans and light fixtures.
Last spring we replaced our dining room fixture with a stained glass, bowl shaped one, and a matching foyer light.
The plain white five-bladed fans will continue to be just fine in our two bedrooms but our living room deserved something nicer. If you look at the photo, you’ll see the old one in the foreground is plain white. The one from the ceiling near the “tree” is the new pretty palm leaves.
We have sort of a tropical theme in our living room. It’s comfortable and pretty, but we do need to do something about those worn and uncomfortable recliners. They must GO!
Before we left Michigan, we thought we’d go to a New Year’s Eve party put on by the Oldies But Goodies club at the Sun City Center main community building. When we got here, we found it was a sell-out.
Since it appeared the party wasn’t possible, we made tentative plans to go to the South Club just a block or so from us. There won’t be a formal “party” but hopefully some folks we know will attend. They’ll have music and munchies.
Last night we got a call from a lady who had extra tickets for the Oldies But Goodies party. But we decided to pass on that opportunity. We have already adjusted our thinking. Going to a big party and sitting at a table with folks we don’t know doesn’t sound all that desirable. The $70 would have included “heavy hors d’oeuvres” but it was byob. $70 plus a new dress sounded like it was a budget stretcher.
But a bigger consideration is that John has good days and some days when he doesn’t feel up to par. Expensive party tickets would make John feel as if he was “required” to hang in there. Maybe that won’t be the best thing for him. We probably won’t dance as much as we used to and that means being at a compatible table is even more important.
The informal South Club gathering will be just fine, or maybe we’ll just stay home, or maybe we’ll get together with friends like last year. We’re flexible.
We also have two other big parties to go to during January and February and several dances. For those events, we will be at tables with friends. That will fill our “quota” of fancy “dress-up” opportunities.
So New Year’s Eve we’ll just go over to the South Club and come home when we feel like it. We won’t have the lovely hors d’oeuvres which would have been included in the $70 tickets but I don’t need the calories.
With John’s illness, I’m learning to make adjustments and be flexible. No sense it stressing him.
Tuesday, the 22nd, Willow nearly died, but she’s her old self now. She’s hungry and playful. Talk about a turn-around. And to think we nearly put her to sleep (at the vet’s suggestion). She’s sure doing well.
I love working with web site design. My website at http://dulcimers.com has been totally revised. Actually it’s not 100% finished, but the main part is up. I will have to blend some of the sub-site pages, but there’s no rush. I’m pleased with it.
We just finished a lovely dinner: ham, sweet potatoes, scalloped potatoes, fresh baked bread, green beans, ambrosia salad (with tangerines, pineapple, bananas, coconut and mini marshmallows in sour cream), several relishes and hot apple pie. It was all very good. After we ate, we went for a golf cart ride through all the golf courses since all of the paths are open to everyone on Christmas Day. (The rest of the time you must be a member of a golf club to use the paths.)
Last night, Christmas Eve, we went to a party at Dale and Trudy’s condo. They’re the ones who used to let me know that Mom needed me when she first started displaying symptoms. They lived one condo over from Mom’s. We were their neighbors until we had to move from Mom’s condo. Trudy, who is a realtor, helped us find the condo we bought.
Today we shopped for our Christmas dinner. We were supposed to have spent the day enjoying Busch Garden’s wonderful Christmas ice show, but we were too concerned about Willow to leave her for the day. So we stayed home. Willow slept all day today but was much improved from yesterday’s major trauma. This evening she walked a few feet then went back to her bed.
We planned our holiday dinner: a ham, sweet potatoes, scalloped potatoes, fresh baked bread, ambrosia salad, relishes, green beans, apple pie.
Hopefully tomorrow we can go to the pool. It was just a tiny too cool today (70 or so). Tomorrow it’s supposed to be close to 80.
Willow, our tiny dog, wasn’t doing well this morning. She’s been up and down over the past few weeks. Yesterday she looked really good but not today. Because, when we called the vet, she was in critical condition, our veterinarian took her in as an “emergency.” He’s really good with her but there’s little that can be done. She was put on oxygen and nitro. We waited to see how she was this afternoon. By late afternoon, she was doing better. We were able to bring her home.
The time will come when we’ll have to make “the hard decision” but it looks like she’s made it past this crisis. The vet warned us to be prepared because her heart is shot. Willow is now sleeping peacefully. She’s on meds galore. Her heart is crowding her lungs, but she’s comfortable and no longer in distress. We’d have given our permission to end her life if it was hopeless, but she proved she’s a fighter and deserves to keep on going.
Since our arrival, we have been on the go constantly:
Thursday – Rockin’ Rondezvous at the South Club House.
Friday – a Marcille Wallis and friends concert at the United Methodist Church.
Saturday – a funeral, funeral luncheon, and evening neighborhood party.
Sunday – a dance club dance.
Now we will have two days of leisure. This afternoon or tomorrow we’ll probably go get our H1N1 vaccinations.
Wednesday we’re going to Busch Gardens for their Christmas ice show,
It’s really cool today (high of about 62 and lows in the 40’s over night). But by Wednesday it’s supposed to be 75. Thursday (Christmas Eve) scattered showers are predicted. I think we’ll just laze around today. No need to do anything. John’s tired. (He did fine at our first dance last night.)
Christmas Eve Day it’ll be about 76 and we have an invitation to a house party at Dale and Trudy’s that evening.
Christmas Day it’s supposed to be in the mid-70’s but possibly thunderstorms. Then it’ll chilly down again for a few days. I hope we can go to the pool. (That’s the tradition we started last year.)
We haven’t decided what we’ll have for our Christmas dinner: ham, turkey, roast beef???
Looks like it’s heading to a cool Christmas. I so wanted to be in the pool on Christmas day and maybe we will but it’ll be cooler than last year!
Last night we attended a concert held here in Sun City Center (FL) at the Methodist Church. It was Christmas with the Celts featuring Marcille Wallis and her group of four wonderful musicians and two exceptional Celtic dancers.
Matt Miller, who accompanied her one year when she came to the Funfest, has really matured into a great fiddler. She had an excellent guitarist, Michael DeLalla; a talented whistle/mandolin/vocalist; and Robin Hendrickson on bagpipes. The whole group was super! Each musician was outstanding. What a treat!
The act opened with the musicians and dancers coming down the center isle lead by the bagpiper. It was dramatic and stirring.
The Irish/Scottish dancers added a great touch. Their energy was contagious.
One of Marcille’s first pieces was a solo with guitar back-up of “Oh, Holy Night” which was awesome. She is really a very appealing showman who captured the audience. Her playing was excellent and those in the group really provided wonderful foundation for her dulcimer as well as individual solo numbers which featured their unique talents.
She told the audience about the Evart Funfest and what it’s like to go to sleep at 2:00 a.m. to the sound of hammered dulcimers and wake up at 6:00 a.m. to the sound of dulcimers (maybe even the same players).
She and her group visited the same church in February and we were fortunate to attend then too. We liked them last time but this time show was even better!
This a.m. we will attend the funeral of Joan Thate. Bob Thate is our association vice president and all round nice guy and helpful neighbor. Joan has been ill for some time and in a nursing home. It’s a sad time for Bob. We didn’t know Joan very well, but she seemed like a lovely lady.
This evening we’ll traverse three condos south from us to a neighborhood holiday party.
We found a 7 1/2 foot artificial tree today for merely $25. It’s lovely with 1,450 tips and 800 lights. The couple selling it no longer spend their Christmases here so they decided to sell it. It’s really nice.
I’m a person who vowed never to have an artificial tree, but my allergies have gotten so bad and, with John’s lung condition, a real tree (complete with molds and fungi) would not be wise.
I need to get some silver, white or gold balls to make the tree look “complete” but it’s ok for now.
It took a couple hours to “assemble” the tree but it was worth it. It’s lovely!
Over the years I have made crocheted Victorian ornaments (lacy with pearls). They are the only ornaments I had to use, although I plan to get more plain silver, gold, or white balls to glorify the tree.
We went to Rockin’ Rondezvous tonight but felt a little isolated. Most of the folks we usually sit with are with families over the holidays. We did see some old friends and made plans to sit with Linda and Bob Sunday at the “Academy” dance.
We were home by 6:00. I haven’t been feeling up to par and I’m exhausted. (I’ve had a intestinal bug since about Tuesday.) A quiet evening should help restore my energy.
Tomorrow night we want to go to a Marcile Wallis concert at the Methodist Church. Saturday a funeral during the day and a party at night. Sunday the Academy dance. Sad for our friend/neighbor/vice president of our association who lost his wife Tuesday. But the concert and the dance sound like fun.
John tried dancing tonight for the first time since he’s developed his lung problem. He did fine. We didn’t do anything too strenuous but we got out there and shook our booty a little.
When we arrived yesterday and opened the door from our living room toward the golf course, here’s what we saw. We’d planted a small flowerless poinsettia last year. It had been a luncheon centerpiece and door prize in about a 4″ pot. This year it’s magnificant. What a lovely Christmas-y greeting.
Today we’ll unpack and clean. I have a beauty salon appointment at 10:00. John will go with me and shop for groceries.
But we have a slight problem: Last night our next door Saginaw neighbor, Connie, called us.
We’d purchased a device called a “Honeywell Winter Watcher” which allowed us to plug in a light which would be visible in case our house temperature fell below 45 degrees. Connie had agreed to monitor the light. (She can see the window where we placed the lamp from her kitchen window.)
Last night she got home and the light was on. It was only 17 degrees outside when she called us. She doesn’t have access to the house but she wanted to advise us that the “warning light” was on.
Last week we had the furnace serviced so we”re fairly certain it’s just a problem with the way it was set. Maybe John didn’t leave enough of a range between the furnace setting and the setting on the “Watcher.” But we won’t know until John’s friend, George, can go into our house and check to make sure everything is working. We may have to have the thermostat replaced. Whatever it takes, hopefully George can handle it for us. We’re a little far to have a problem like this develop. It obviously bothered John all night. He slept very little.
Today is Thursday. I didn’t feel well Tuesday and Wednesday with a major digestive problem. It wore me out, so I was exhausted and slept like a rock.
So hopefully there’s no problem at home. As soon as John can reach George and have him check things out, he’ll feel better.
==
Friday George was able to go into our Saginaw house and check out the warning signal. But everything was fine. The device was just set too close to the thermostat setting. Moving the dial on the light to a lower setting turned it off. Now we can be fairly certain that the light won’t come on unless the lower temperature is reached.
We arrived at our condo about 12:30. Temperatures were in the 80’s. Before we went inside, we were welcomed by a couple neighbors and more stopped by shortly.
The afternoon was spent “settling in.” Next year it’ll be easier if I stick to my vow to leave everything here and just travel (not move) back and forth. No more bins of clothes. No more suitcases which require a man and a boy to move. I want to travel light.
But this time, we came with a full truckload and I spent much of the day unloading and unpacking. There’s still more to be done.
I also took time to “decorate for the season.” There’s a lovely Christmas centerpiece on our coffee table, a small Christmas tree on the table by the window. I put a wreath on the door, Christmas placemats on the dining room table and lights in the window. My mom’s small ceramic tree is on the lanai, greeting visitors. There are liberal candles around the condo. It looks nice.
The condo was in good shape except for the split leaf philodendron which we always battle or it over-grows the walk-way to the front door, and a dead hybiscus behind the condo toward the golf course. The front door and lawn furniture on the lanai were covered with black mold. I scrubbed it off the door, but it will take even more elbow grease. We’ll finish cleaning, dusting and vacuuming the place tomorrow. Right now it looks great and we feel “at home.”
It’ll be cooler in a few days… much cooler, but looking ahead it looks like, in about a week, it will return to the weather which greeted us today.
Already our calendar is filling up. We have plans every night starting tomorrow night through Christmas Eve except for Monday and Tuesday. I don’t know what we’ll do after that, but we sure have a full calendar for the next week.
It’s now 7:30 p.m. We are settled in to our motel in Valdosta, GA. We made it by 4:30. The room is nice. We ate a light dinner, and now we’re relaxing.
This afternoon there were some light showers (more like mist) in the Atlanta area. Temperature got up to 72. It had quit raining by the time we got to Valdosta.
Unfortunately Sun City Center’s forecast doesn’t look all that great for next week. It’s in the 80’s today, but by next week there’ll be a few days in the low 60’s. (Then it turns around and heads back into the mid-70’s.)
I tried one of my techie tricks tonight from our motel. I brought along my “Magic Jack” device and a phone. Using the high-speed wi-fi which is available here in our room with the Magic Jack, I can make unlimited phone calls at no charge. (Magic Jack is an “internet” phone.) The audio quality was very good. I could switch our home phone forwarding to the Magic Jack and we would be able to seamlessly receive our calls, but since we’ll be at our destination tomorrow, and the calls are going to our cell, I didn’t bother.
We’ll be on the road by 8:00 tomorrow morning and should pull in to our condo about 12:30.
We’re enjoying another day of clear roads (knock on wood), with fairly mild temperatures (54 at 9:10).
Last night’s Red Roof in London, KY, is the nicest one we’ve stayed at. (We like Red Roof’s because they’re the only chain that doesn’t object to Willow nor charge any extra for her.) This morning the free breakfast consisted of waffles, toast, cereals, bagels, hot grits, juice and coffee.
Tonight we have two reservations so we can be flexible and either stay in Macon or Valdosta, GA. We’ll decide as we get further south, but since we got an early start this a.m., chances are we’ll drive on to Valdosta. (We’d probably arrive about 3:00 in Macon, and that’s too early to call it a day.) By choosing the more southerly stop, we can make it to Florida tomorrow and have lunch at the condo rather than another lunch stop on the road.
We’re enjoying another day of clear roads (knock on wood), with fairly mild temperatures (54 at 9:10).
Last night’s Red Roof in London, KY, is the nicest one we’ve stayed at. (We’re locked into Red Roof’s because they’re the only chain that doesn’t object to Willow nor charge any extra for her.) This morning for breakfast they served waffles, toast, cereals, bagels, hot grits, juice and coffee.
Tonight we have two reservations so we can be flexible and either stay in Macon or Valdosta, GA. We’ll decide as we get further south, but since we got an early start this a.m., chances are we’ll drive on to Valdosta. (We’d probably arrive about 3:00 in Macon, and that’s too early to call it a day.) By choosing the more southerly stop, we can make it to Florida tomorrow and have lunch at the condo rather than another lunch stop on the road.
I always think of our trips south as “adventures.” It’s fun to pack up the dog, the bird, and 3/4’s of our possessions and hop in our comfortable GMC truck with Florida as a destination. I love the time shared in close confines with my sweet husband. We rarely turn on the radio or music, although sometimes, when John gets sleepy or feels he needs a diversion, I’ll “crank it up.” Mainly, we talk and share observations. It’s a very pleasant time.
Of course, I’m not doing the driving so I can feel relaxed. John probably feels differently. Buy I try to help using my GPS by providing directions. It’s not like back-seat driving. I will point out that we’ll be approaching our exit in 12 miles (or whatever is accurate). I’ll tell him which lane we’ll need to be in and which direction we’ll be heading after we exit. It makes the trip easier on him. We’re a team. I rarely read because reading puts me in another world and John would prefer that I stay “with him.” I sometimes work on the computer. This time I hope to spend the time revising http://dulcimers.com.
And I’m always trying to get my email. It’s a challenge and it’s getting harder and harder to find the connections which used to be common-place. John’s computer running Windows XP still has the ability (but mine runs on Vista so it won’t work). The system uses a cable connection with our cellphone to make totally free digital connections using the “Quick to Net” system (free internet). It’s grand when it works, but fewer and fewer areas have connections to Quick to Net which was an early system we were fortunate to get with an old “pay as you go” cellphone and we now have grandfathered-in-status. We hang on to that cellphone because we know it is rare to get anything for free, especially a free digital connection to the internet. Of course it’s snail slow, but sometimes I can connect and if I’m patient enough, I can use my site-based text email system to pull in my messages. I wouldn’t try websites, because graphic images would slow the download beyond what I am patient enough to wait for. When I receive an email it’s a major accomplishment. I keep a listing of the mile markers where it works as we go south on I-75. Every trip I lose a few areas, but it’s still fun to try. Eventually I’ll give up and get an I-phone or other state-of-the-art phone with 3G or 4G mobile broadband.
Our plan is to depart at 8:00 a.m.. We should pull into London, KY, about 5:00 p.m. after 498 miles of driving. Day two will be slightly shorter, if we stay in Macon, GA (we actually have two different choices that evening about 2 hours apart). The third day (Wednesday) we’ll arrive at our destination at about 3:00 in the afternoon. We’ll take about an hour to “unload” and hopefully be able to go to the pool.
Thursday evening we’ll enjoy re-establishing connections with our friends at Rockin’ Rondezvous.
I just added a new feature to my dulcimer sales site: http://dulcimers.biz, it’s a live “chat area” so I can answer the questions folks have.
But if you want to say “Hi” (provided I’m on line) I’d love to have you try it out. Just go to the link above and click on the Chat feature.
Of course it only works when I’m on line, and we will be gone this evening (Saturday) and Sunday during the day, then we head South. So if you don’t reach me, don’t be surprised. But it’ll be nice when folks have a question and I am available.
John had a major problem with a carboy of wine. I won’t go into it, but we lost five gallons of premium stock we were planning to take with us.
Also we looked hard for, but can’t find an “over-night” sized gym bag which we both lost track of several years ago. (It was a gift so we know we had it, but where it is, is the big question.) John would like to use it during our trip South. It is burgundy nylon and much too nice to have tossed out. Since our house isn’t that big, it has to be here somewhere, but we can’t find it. So today was frustrating.
John got up early (before 8:00) and headed out to have an “after fasting” blood test for his Pulmonologist. He then stopped to have the truck tires rotated. He also got a prescription for Willow, and picked up so last minute groceries.
I was busy changing doctor appointments, making lists, packing, and making sure everything is ready. I think we’re in good shape.
I just hope the rest of the packing process goes more smoothly than today. I hope maybe tomorrow or Sunday we can stop at a Walmart or Meijers and buy John another gym bag for his clothes while traveling. Someday we’ll find the burgundy bag which we both know is “here” but missing.
At least the weather isn’t going to be teasing us with wonderful “pool conditions” so instead of sunning ourselves, we can go get our mail, our Christmas tree, and re-stock our refrigerator before we feel the urge to hit the pool.
We will arrive on Wednesday, so the Thursday night (the 17th) “Rockin’ Rondezvous will be a “must-attend.” That’s the time when we all assemble in the South Clubhouse for some “adult beverages” and munchies. We enjoy the dancing and the friendships which are plentiful.
On Friday the 18th a friend of ours (Marcille Wallis) will be presenting a concert at the Methodist Church. I really want to be there.
Sunday, the 20th, we’ve been invited to a dance and holiday party. The 24th, Christmas Eve, we have a house party my mom’s old neighborhood. They’re super folks.
Then comes Christmas.
One problem: We don’t have plans for New Year’s Eve. But maybe we can have a party at our place.
Before we decide, I need to do some holiday decorating It’s hard to think of a holiday party without the decor. Once I get my Christmas Tree up and make the place look festival I’ll feel like entertaining. We’ll arrive on Wednesday and I’d love to buy and have a Christmas tree up by Friday or Saturday plus wall-to-wall holiday decorations.
I keep going to Walmart’s website: http://walmart.com, to see if they have decent artificial pre-lit trees but it’s hard to tell what’s still available in the stores. That’ll be one of the first places we head when we get to Sun City Center. (We have only two choices: Walmart or Home Depot.) I know I want a tree with lots of branches, about 7 feet tall, with about 1200 clear lights. Probably what I’ll find will be 4.5 ft. tall with 150 lights and lots of bare spots.
Then maybe we’ll extend some invitations for New Year’s Eve.
I’m busy getting stuff ready for our departure Monday. Since Saturday and Sunday we have extra commitments, I really need to do everything possible today and tomorrow. (Stuff like food can be packed last minute, but anything I can do now will help avoid the last minute rush.)
Yesterday John went to his pulmonologist and his urologist. Today he’s at the dentist. Both of his doctors yesterday had good news. He did better on his breathing test and everything was fine with his urologist. So he’s been given the go ahead to leave town. Tomorrow he has one more blood test and then the truck gets a check-up, tires rotated, and new wiper blades.
It’s really windy today so the waves are fairly high on little Lake Cecil in front of our house. At least it’s “open water.” I don’t like the stillness of ice. Even with the sun out, the snow is blowing hard horizontally but there’s little on the ground and what’s coming down is going to end up in the next county.
We don’t have any plans for New Year’s Eve. I’ve been trying to get tickets for a party in Sun City Center, FL, but I should have purchased them weeks ago. I doubt that they’re available now. It’s not bad planning, I just didn’t want to jinx John by purchasing non-refundable tickets before he was “cleared to go.”
When left Saginaw Valley State University in late 1981, we had only one computer on the campus and I got to use it once. But it wasn’t long after I started working at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Saginaw, that they got me my first computer to use.
Early computers had no hard drive, the OS (operating system) was usually booted from one floppy disk, which was then removed and replaced by another one containing the application. Some machines using two disk drives (or one dual drive) allowed the user to leave the OS disk in place and simply change the application disks as needed, or to copy data from one floppy to another. That’s the kind of computers we had to begin with. When our 30 megabyte hard drive was installed, the technician told us we’d “never fill it up.”
By the mid 1980’s I got my first “home” computer. It had a 30 megabyte hard drive, a 5 inch “floppy drive” and an “amber” monitor. It ran IBM’s Dos 1.1. I was “state of the art.”
Following that first off-brand computer, I found a used IBM, then a Dell, then I had one built for me, then an HP laptop, followed by a Sony Vaio and now another Sony Vaio. Each one was faster with a bigger hard drive. The same was true of my “work computers.” Because I was responsible for more and more data, my computer was always the best that was available, and I tried to stay abreast at home too.
I ran only two main programs: Lotus 1-2-3 (versions 1.0-3.0) started me out. I also learned Symphony which was by Lotus but it had database features built in. For word processing, we started with a free program until we up-graded to Word Perfect which was wonderful. With Lotus 1-2-3 and Word Perfect I was able to do most everything necessary but often slowly and with greater difficulty. Nevertheless, it was my area of expertise and I learned to “write programs” although I had no computer background. I used the “macro” feature of Symphony to write the first scheduling program for our hospital. I was able to “think through” to create solutions for which I received some notoriety (two awards through the Lotus magazine for winning national competitions solving computer “problems” with macros.
Just how do today’s speeds and sizes of hard drives compare?
Here’s a chart:
The nearest binary number to 1,000 is 2^10 or 1,024; thus 1,024 bytes was named a Kilobyte. So, although a metric “kilo” equals 1,000 (e.g. one kilogram = 1,000 grams), a binary “Kilo” equals 1,024 (e.g. one Kilobyte = 1,024 bytes).
I remember what an up-grade it was when we got our first HD 3 1/2 inch diskettes which held 2MB!
If you look at the comparative chart above, you can do the math and figure that the first computers were incredibly limited in their capacity.
I now have a thumb drive that holds 4 gigabyte. If I figured correctly that’s more than 136 times more than my 30 MB computer and my thumb drive doesn’t weigh an ounce.)
I remember the historic days when Dos came in 1.0 and 1.1 versions, when Excel and Word hadn’t been invented, when “Windows” didn’t exist, and we’d go on a break while our computer ran computations because they were so slow.
John and I are fortunate. We have three residences and a farm (which we rent out). Our residences are: our Saginaw home on lovely Lake Cecil in Thomas Township; our condo in sunny central Florida in Sun City Center (Kings Point gated community); and a very old trailer with about 185 feet of frontage on Lake Michigan in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
It wasn’t really our choice to become “property poor” but the economy has locked us into holding on to our “investments” well past the time we’d like to divest ourselves of our rental unit (the farm) and our U.P. property. We’d prefer to only own our home in Saginaw and our Florida condo, and when the real estate values turn around, that’s our aim. We were just unfortunate enough to think that real estate was a good investment.
But for now, our the three residences have something in common: lovely water views.
Residence #1 (above) – our Lake Cecil, Thomas Township, Michigan home view
Residence #2 (above) – view of ponds from our Florida living room
Residence #3 – view from our old trailer – (above) – looking east as the sun rises over Lake Michigan.
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The water view is lovely at all three locations, but a month from now in Michigan the water will have frozen over. There is quite a contrast between the moving, reflective surface of blue water with the stark whiteness of ice (covered by snow). When it freezes over, things become totally still. During Spring, Summer and Fall, the landscape constantly moves and changes. The trees cast shadows, there are reflections, fish jump, geese fly in and out. It’s an ever-changing view. Ice makes it still and unmoving.
Recently we’ve noticed a critter swimming in the lake in front of our Lake Cecil home. He seems to have taken up permanent residency. I snapped this picture of him. We called him “Nessy, our Lake Cecil Lockness Monster.”
We don’t know what he is. He’s not a beaver (tail’s wrong), not a muskrat (wrong size and not the right tail), maybe he’s an otter, or possibly a mink…?? He seems to live in the lake. (He has only been seen in the water.)
I wonder what will happen to our “monster” when the lake freezes over. Personally I don’t like “hard water.” Much more interesting when it’s flowing freely like it is now.
John and I presented a “lunch and learn” at the historical museum yesterday. I discussed the history of dulcimers especially as the history pertains to Michigan. Today Sub-Strings played for Catholic Federal Credit Union at the Double Tree Hotel in Bay City. We had a group of 25 musicians playing for about 300 diners. We had arrived early and everyone helped us set up the stage (which is no easy task when there are six big hammered dulcimers and lots of musicians with chairs and music stands). Our members enjoyed a lovely lunch in our own dining room prior to our performance.
Tomorrow John and I will play for the Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas House Walk in one of the lovely homes which with be open for touring. We’ll be there from 12:30-2:30. We’ve done this for many years. It’s generally an easy performance.
Next week we have a few commitments – most are non-music playing: John goes to his pulmonologist on Wednesday, his dentist on Thursday and on Saturday we have his family’s Christmas dinner. Our club will play music for Wescourt Senior Residence Sunday, the 13th. Since we leave Monday, December 14th, for Florida, most of next week we’ll be tying up loose ends and packing.
Today’s performance was fun. We played well and some of our audience even gave us a standing ovation. Comments were very favorable!
We have such nice people in our club. It’s like being with your favorite relatives. They are loving and kind. Can’t think of any place I’d have rather been.
Most of today I’ve been trying to upgrade my dulcimers.com website.
I purchased a template in hopes that I can be prepared to help my friend Diane come up with a classy site for her art work. It’s not “hard” but very time consuming, especially when I’m working with an “already developed” site and I’m trying to use the info which has already been written.
I have to edit photos and figure our java scripts, which are pretty new to me.
One of the neat things is that there are 23 choices of colors schemes. By inserting the color I want in one file and up-loading it, I can switch the whole scheme. I’m trying to get the menu updated. It is fairly complex so it’ll take a while, and I’m in no hurry.
I worked too long and too intently today. I’m brain-dead right now!
Two weeks from Monday we’ll be taking off for Florida.
I’m famous for my lists and this is when my obsession really makes things easier. I have a list of “stuff to do” so that everything works. Without lists I’d be lost. Things like remembering to forward our mail, turn off our newspaper and our Wall Street Journal delivery, insure our Florida car, switch our phone service to Florida, re-set the house thermostat (and change the battery in it so the furnace will work while we’re gone). My list keeps growing. I also prioritize the items so I know when I must do stuff. Some of it is critical, and other things just make life easier.
My packing list is being perfected too.
I just crossed off “bring a live Christmas tree”. I had thought we would take a Michigan tree to Florida and put it up as soon as we got down there. Now, thinking about it, I’m realizing that neither John nor I should be around live trees. I have severe allergies to spruce trees and with John’s IPF he doesn’t need the exposure to molds and allergens. So I’ll see if it’s possible to buy an artificial tree and decorations when we get down there. A week before Christmas, prices should be low, if I can still find what I want.
Sun City Center is NOT a shoppiing mecca. We have a Walmart Super Store, two dollar stores and Beall’s (where they have great clothes), but that’s about it. There’s shopping just south of us in Ellenton (where there’s an outlet mall), and north of us there’s Brandon with a huge mall, but the traffic there is horrid year-round so I can’t imagine what it would be like a week before Christmas. Guess we’ll take our chances.
Later:
I found a lovely artificial Christmas Tree today and would have bought it, but it was a Goodwill and there was another lady who wanted it badly. I saw it first, and it was mine, but in the spirit of the season, I let the other shopper buy it. Sometimes I wish I could be pushier because now I wish I’d bought it! It was 7 1/2 feet tall, spruce with some artificial snow on the branches. The box was marked $200. It was like new. The price was $45. I won’t find another deal like that.
Willow hasn’t been well for several weeks. We’re concerned that we might lose her.
Today, although we’re in Saginaw, we called our Florida vet because he was the last to see Willow. Her symptoms didn’t sound good. He suggested that we take to to her Saginaw vet. We got an appointment and took her in to see her doctor.
I should mention that we have two really caring veterinarians for Willow: Dr. Waldy in Ruskin, Florida, and Dr. Hegenauer in Saginaw. Both go the extra mile to care for our beloved 14-year old small chihuahua.
Willow’s no longer really lovable. She’s always been feisty but now she’s not even “friendly” with John or me. She’s old, her left eye is blind, and she has a severe heart condition and she appears to be rather arthritic.
We continue to give her the best care possible. She’s been a good dog and just because she’s old and her “end” is approaching, doesn’t mean that she doesn’t deserve the best we can provide for her. John and I have talked about her condition, and we agree that when she gets to the point where we can’t keep her comfortable, or she has a condition which makes her life unbearable, we’ll do the humane thing. But that time isn’t now.
We took her in to the vet because for about three or four days she hasn’t eaten at all. When we got to the veterinarian’s office, she was weighed. In January she had weighed 5.3 pounds. She’s now 4.2 pounds. She’s lost over ONE POUND…. 25% of her weight!
She isn’t running a temperature, but there are indications that she has a bladder infection so she’s on antibiotics. We are giving her dietary supplements.
But a very distressing thing happened as we were going into the vet’s office. A shabby guy with a large, obviously injured dog, asked me to move aside so he could get past me. The dog had a large wound on his side.
The man was really distraught. He said, “A neighbor stabbed him in my yard, right in front of me.”
We overheard the man explain that he had no money. It was obvious from the way he was dressed and his demeanor that he was really poor. This was a man who had nothing. I wanted to do something, but what can you do when you don’t really know the story? Do you stick your neck into a situation which might be violent?
Instead I asked our vet, as he was working on Willow, if the dog who had been stabbed was being cared for and he said, “Yes, we couldn’t send a dog away in that condition.” What a relief. I would have offered to pay for the dog’s care had it been necessary, but I guess, not knowing the parties involved, we had to stay out of it. When we left, the dog was in surgery.
I commend Cole Veterinary Clinic, on Schust Road in Saginaw, for their compassionate care.
I wish I’d felt free to step up and volunteer to help with expenses. He obviously wasn’t the kind of person we’d normally approach. It was his attitude and his demeanor that said “stay away.” It was a situation where we couldn’t get involved because he looked really threatening and who knows what the whole story was, but it sure wasn’t the fault of the innocent dog and it haunts me. Should I have asked if he needed help?
For years I’ve had a mental list of all kinds of projects which I planned to work on “someday.” I love hand arts: crocheting, knitting, tatting. Many of my “mental list projects” involve these time-consuming skills.
Back in the 1970’s and early 1980’s, I purchased most of the crochet cotton stock from a Frankenmuth store when they closed. I also purchased the stock from Jacobson’s when they eliminated their crochet department. My horde was growing and so was my list of future projects. I had in mind bedspreads, clothing, doilies, and more and more projects.
Sometimes I’d get in a sewing mood, and buy up material for suits, and dresses. My list of projects grew.
In the early 1990’s I purchased a knitting machine and with it materials for knitted projects.
My list of proposed projects always justified the purchases of more materials because I’d need that stuff when I got around to working on them.
Back about ten years ago, I discovered eBay. Folks would sell their hordes of crochet materials and I’d buy them up .. always cheaply .. always in volume.
I have at least three plastic bins (the big ones) filled with balls of crochet/tatting cotton. I have hundreds of balls .. yards and yards .. all sizes (thicknesses) of crocheted cotton. I have cones of yarn .. yards of fabric .. shuttles, hooks, needles, books, patterns, more books, more patterns… Well, you get the idea.
I’m now 67 years old. If I got busy and worked night and day on all the projects I’ve dreamed of, I could never put dent in my list of projects. I couldn’t even scratch the surface.
I probably should start selling my horde. It no longer brings me comfort. In fact it’s become an unfinished blight. I no longer think of the mental list as “do-able.” Maybe it’s time to purge.
I’ll have to put that on my list of proposed “projects.”
John and I just returned from a wonderful day with our Saginaw Subterranean Strings Hammered Dulcimer Club. We had the “annual dinner” today. Approximately 35-40 folks enjoyed a huge dinner. The club bought chicken from a catering service (Kern’s). John and I brought mashed potatoes and gravy. We organized the day. We had the members bring a dish to pass. Linda Conklin brought a huge pan of her wonderful dressing. We had everything you could wish for.
We ate from 12:00-1:00 then played wonderful music from 1:00-4:00. Although we hold our event in Frankenmuth (which is Michigan’s largest tourist attraction) we didn’t expect much of a crowd but we had a nice sized audience all afternoon. We have a box near the door where people make “contributions” to the historical society which owns the building. We probably didn’t collect any fortune, but it was satisflying and our folks had a great time.
We played a lot of holiday music to get us ready for the Christmas season. I invited Diane Rostollan to sing “Oh, Holy Night.” It was so incredible that some in the audience were in tears. She also did some selections from a new CD she just finished. She sang a hymn from the CD “Come Thou Font.” It was really lovely.
We always end up with “Amazing Grace.” We do it several times through. We start out with a solo whistle (George), then we all played it, next we let Diane sing it through, then we had the audience join in, and we ended up with a solo whistle. The whole thing was grand. What a wonderful day.
Our club members were so supportive. They all pitched in. They are like family and we really appreciated their involvement and support.
Life is too short. We need to cherish each day like today that is filled with really nice friends who are like family.
Margaret Loper, John and I resigned this week from the Midland Dulcimer Festival management team. (John and Margaret aren’t well enough to continue, and I couldn’t do anything helpful without involving John and creating stress for him that he doesn’t need.)
The Folk Music Society of Midland board is meeting on December 9th to decide if the festival will continue and who will be the chairman and do the workshops.
Finding somone who will organize the workshops won’t be easy, and no one wants to “be in charge.” Personally we feel that the festival would be better ending than disappointing attendees but that will be determined at the December meeting which we don’t plan to attend. It’s in their court.
I’ve promised some of my Florida friends that I’ll help them create a website when I finally get down there.
One lady, Diane, a super artist, is especially interested because she needs a gallery type site to display her work. She also wants to do one for the “art league.” I’ve located a template website which has several possible formats. I’m really impressed with the quality of their offerings. I’m thinking about upgrading http://dulcimers.com using this template:
The butterflies will be replaced with photos of our festivals.
If I work with the site prior to helping Diane, I’ll be in a much better position to assist her. It’s not cheap to by the template, but I figure it’s a business expense, and learning to use the “Allwebcodesign” templates should give me a lot of tools to use with my site. I can include a gallery, frequently asked questions area, and even a paypal shopping cart for http://dulcimers.biz. It comes with 23 different color possibilities. I’m seriously considering it. I love the challenge of learning a new program/technique.
I’m still limping around. Still haven’t tried wearing shoes (figure another few days without them will make it easier). If you wonder what I’m talking about, read the earlier posting.
We have a performance and Frankenmuth Dinner performance on November 21st. On the 30th we’ll practice. The rest of the month is fairly quiet. In December, we have a huge performance in Bay City on the 2nd with our club, and on the 3rd for just the two of us. Then we go until December 13th when we have our last performance before we head south.
So the number of plays isn’t huge, but we need to practice and get ready for them.
So I’m hoping that within the next few days I’ll be able to go out wearing shoes. Right now, it’s hard to contemplate.
Our house was a disaster during the time when everything was moved out from our great room, dining room, and master bedroom so the flooring could be installed. I remembered relocating John’s important medical records from the dining room table where they’d been for several weeks. I wanted to be sure they wouldn’t get lost. I planned to put them in the portable file case which we drag back and forth to Florida. But when everything was back in place, I went to look for them in the case, they weren’t there.
It took me more than a day to locate the records and the DVDs of his CT scans, etc. When I found them it was one of those “Of course” moments. It all came back to me crystal clear. I remembered I couldn’t reach our portable file case. Everything had been stowed in the hot tub room and it was really really cramped and crowded. I remember standing at the door of the hot tub room and realizing I couldn’t reach the file case so I slipped them in my laptop’s computer case. As soon as I saw the case, I remembered that they were safe.
It’s awful when you get old and forgetful.
Toe Trouble – OUCH!
When it comes to Toe Trouble, I’ve had more than my share. If you’ve followed this blog you know I have frequent “Sore Toe Problems” (as indicated in this 2007 blog posting).. Today I was changing the bedding and I tangled my foot in the blankets which had been pushed to the floor at the end of the bed. When I caught my right foot in the blankets, my poor toe caught the hard corner of an oak chest of drawers. I doubt that it’s broken, but it’s sure bruised, swollen, and sore.
Add that to my bad back, which I’ve been suffering from for a couple of weeks, and I’m pretty miserable.
I know I should have done a pedicure before posting a photo of my toes. I will haul out the polish before I go to Florida because I know when wearing sandals they’ll show, but here, in Michigan, legs, underarms and toes are all ignored by us old married folks when it gets cold and those areas are hidden.
Our Michigan home looks grand and we have very little to do until the 21st of November when we put on the Subterranean Strings annual dinner at Fischer Hall in Frankenmuth.
We found out today that McBrite Manor, where we have played with Subterranean Strings for more than a dozen years for their Christmas Open House, will not be hosting a December event due to the flu risk. With John’s health problem, I’m just as glad.
We are gradually backing away from our music “commitments.” It’s not easy to say “No, we can’t do it,” but with John’s illness, he really can’t continue at the tempo he’s maintained for so many years. It’s just not possible. I’m sure there will be some people who won’t understand and will feel we’re abandoning the music community, but I’m watching him try to stretch his breathing resources. He just can’t continue to push himself.
I just marred our new hardwood floor! It’s not ever 48 hours old and I did it!
I extended the foot of the recliner where I was sitting and the recliner mechanism squeezed down on the power box thingie of my computer forcing it into the floor. A deep dent resulted. It’s lucky that I didn’t leave two because there was a transformer box from the phone also under the recliner but it was smaller. At least it’s hidden under the edge and will never show but I feel awful! The installers told us that the advantage of wood is that you can always take out a board and replace it. If this was out in the open, I’d definitely be calling them to do it. It’s that bad.
But in the overall scheme of things, this is not a crisis. Bad health creates a crisis. This is just a pimple.
John’s dream was always to have hardwood in our great room. We selected an “exotic wood,” Brazilian Cherry. The boards are 3/4″ thick and tongue and grooved. The installers were fussy which shows. (If you look carefully out the right photo, you can see the little lake we live on.)
I still have a lot of stuff to put away. The carpeting from the living room was installed in our bedroom. It is lovely there, but in order carpet the walk-in closet, we had to take all of our clothes out. I’ll be busy today sorting through everything. Only the stuff I am certain I will actually wear again will be put back in the closet. The rest will go to charity. I figure there’s no way I’ll ever live long enough to be able to wear all the clothes I’ve squirrelled away, even if I change my outfit several times a day. And let’s face it, I will probably never again be a size 4 or 6. I’m getting rid of about 1/3 of the stuff.
The rug in the “after” photo (above) is just a temporary solution until we can find the right area rug. I want a light colored one that’s about 8 x 5 1/2 which will provide a nice accent. Eventually I want to go with a different color scheme, so I want something neutral.
I’m watching the Today Show and they’re featuring fashions for this winter. Everything is in dark rich colors and knee high boots are a big “must have” fashion item.
I have a pair of those boots which are perfect. I can be “right in style.”
But in December, we’re heading to Florida. In Florida, the only people who wear dark colors are northerners. They “stand out” like a sore thumb.
Florida folks wear resort wear year-round. Capris and bermudas are always popular. Pastels and white are appropriate even the middle of their “winter.” I’ve never seen anyone wear boots but sandals are big year-round.
At least that’s how it’s been the past few years. But maybe this year it’ll be different. Should I drag along my black high leather boots?
I always think of that locale as more “style conscious” than here in Michigan. But admittedly in Florida they have their own look. It’s not 5th Avenue, it’s “Florida style.”
Our flooring project is looking good but it’s still not completed. The flooring contractor started Thursday and worked long days Thursday and Friday but today was shorter. They’ll be back Monday and Tuesday.
The stairs area has had the final touches but only about 3/4’s of the great room is done so there’s some along the east and the west walls yet to be completed. Plus, once the furniture for GR room is moved from the dining room, they’ll need to start doing the dining area. (And the baseboards will need to be reinstalled too.) It’s much slower than I’d envisioned but they’re doing a beautiful job. The wood is lovely.
With NO FURNITURE in the great room, we’re still stuck in the balcony room for the next few days, but it’s comfortable and we really don’t have any complaints.
We didn’t give out Halloween candy tonight. Normally we’d have close to 200 doorbell-ringers yelling “Trick or Treat” but we didn’t know when the flooring guys would stop working plus we figured that with the H1N1 virus so prevalent, we really didn’t need them coming to our door. It’s always an exhausting couple of hours since I run to the door every few minutes. With us using the living area upstairs, it would have been even more tiring to run to the door.
John’s doing much better. Monday we go back to Dr. Indira, his pulmonologist.
This morning at 7:30 our contractor arrived to start on our flooring project Brazillian Cherry hardwood will be installed in our Great Room, Dining Room, foyer, and stairway, plus the carpet in our bedroom will be replaced.
He brought a crew of three and they worked all day.
We’re truly impressed by their courtesy and consideration. Example: He asked, and we said he could park his work trailer loaded with our hardwood in our driveway over-night. He was so grateful. He said we were being “so accommodating.” (?? – heck he’s working for us – why wouldn’t we be?) He also thanked us for “putting up with them” today. In case he hasn’t noticed, we’ll get a big bill when the project is complete and we’ll pay it. We’re not putting up with them. We’re sure we’ll be pleased.
It was noisy, dusty, and incredibly loud. I had no idea the noise of a planer taking down the high spots on the sub-floor would be so loud. I finally used an “ear plug” because I couldn’t tolerate the noise. It was overwhelming. And it didn’t help that the crew played loud rock radio all day. But it’s silent now! Yea.
Today Willow and I “moved” upstairs to the balcony room since the workers are occupying the first floor. It’s comfortable up there. There’s a comfy couch with two recliners, a full bathroom, a flat screen tv, a view of the area where they are working, phone and hi-speed internet. We could sleep in the guest room tonight (up here), but I think our bedroom is in good shape (downstairs) and we’ll head down when it’s time to turn in (early) because they’re coming back at 7:30 tomorrow.
They worked today (Thursday). They’ll be back tomorrow. And they plan to be here all-day Saturday. If there’s still more to be done, it’ll be finished up Monday.
Can’t wait to see the results. (You’ll be able to see the before and after pictures here.)
Note: Why now? Because we’re trying to live life to the fullest. The hardwood floor is something John has always wanted and with his frightening diagnosis we realize that it doesn’t pay to postpone plans. Life is too short. If it’s something he’s dreamed of and it’s possible for us to do, then we should do it now so we can both enjoy it.
(Note: The first picture I’ve included was taken a few months before she died. The one of her in the red dress was taken when my first child, Tammy, was a tiny baby. Okay, so Tammy wasn’t “tiny” but she was a cute baby.)
The other day, as I frequently do, I mentioned Grandma Brophey to John. He said I should write down my thoughts about her. She was the most influential person in my life. Someday I’ll be gone and no one will remember she even existed. She was special.
Grandma Brophey was about 77 years old when she died in 1963. Her full name was Clara Ann Chamberlain Brophey. Those 77 years represented a life that was remarkable.
She was my father’s step-grandmother (so not related “by blood” but by heart.) When my father was three, he came to live with Grandma and Grandpa Brophey who raised him as their son. They were quite well-to-do in the early 1920’s. They had a dry cleaning business and owned the biggest share of a city block in downtown Midland plus a couple of houses. Until I was six, they lived at 405 McDonald Street in Midland.
Grandpa had the first car in Midland county.
There’s the story of how, Grandpa was approached by an eccentric young guy. This was the early 1890’s. The fellow had just started a up a business in 1889 which didn’t look too promising. Grandpa, was doing very well. The young man asked if Grandpa would like to go in on the new business for a $1,000 investment. Grandpa said, “No.” But the fellow wasn’t to be deterred. He said, “Mr. Brophey, how about $500 and we’ll be in business together 50/50.” My grandfather said “No, Mr. Dow, I’m not interested.” That was Herbert Dow. The business he’d started in 1889 was the Dow Chemical Company.
But the stock market crash of 1929 changed everything. Grandma and Grandpa lost their businesses and houses – most everything. It didn’t help that Grandpa Brophey was a heavy drinker and that took over his life. From then on, Grandma supported the family by doing sewing alterations.
She would sew late into the night for the wealthy ladies in town. Once they’d been her peers (financially) but she’d lost all that. Nevertheless she had pride and was definitely “a quality lady.”
As a child I realized how special she was. It was the little things she did. Most everyone who knew her called her “Grandma.” She was the kind of caring person who listened to a child, and spoke words of wisdom worth the attention of the most mature.
Her stories of previous generations were mesmerizing. I grew up hearing of how her grandfather walked to Saginaw every Sunday so he could preach to the Indians. Of encounters with bears. I knew about the settling of the Saginaw Valley by her ancestors. She could tell stories which were better than any of those in books.
In the 1950’s she was “adopted” by an oriental couple so their children would have a grandmother in their new country. She took in unwed mothers and let them stay with her at a time when they were shunned. In those days, Midland, MI, was 99.999% white. Grandma would baby-sit for the only black couple which moved into town. (No one else would sit for them (and she convinced me to fill in for her when she was unavailable.)) She was very involved with the Presbyterian Church: She made their choir robes, was a Sunday school teacher, mailed “birthday cards” to all children under five with parents who belonged to the church. She started a re-sale shop at a senior citizen residence facility which is still on-going (the Kings’ Daughters).
Until I was a teenager, she made all of my clothes (and as a child, I had a complete wardrobe for my dolls long before a Barbie wardrobe was a requirement for a young girl). I was the best dressed youngster you can imagine. As an example, I remember a lined soft blue wool suit, lovely lined cape to match, and a navy tam to complete the outfit. (I was maybe three.) I remember being asked to “turn around” so the classy ladies of the church could approve of my whole ensemble. She was a woman to be proud of and she was so proud of me. (I wish I’d lived up to her expectations.)
After the WWII, the rented house she and Grandpa lived in was sold and Mom and Dad bought a larger house on Swede Road so we could all move in together. She and Grandpa lived with us from the time I was six (1948) until I was twelve (1954). My brother was born in 1949. Grandma’s sister lived with us about half the time. Grandma and I shared a small bedroom.
When she and my grandfather again got their own place (about 1954), her sister (Aunt Ada) moved in with them. Their home was about a mile and a half from downtown Midland (on Pine Street) which was about three miles from where we lived on Swede. Grandma would walk back and forth to town, despite the season, carrying her groceries because she never had a car at her disposal. I was there a great deal of the time.
As limited as her cash was, she always took food to neighbors and she was always charitable and giving.
I don’t know how she did it, but she’d take me to Detroit once a year and we’d stay in the Tuller Hotel on Grand Circus Park so I could see and experience the “big city.” That was always the highlight of my year. She’d bake lovely big sweet rolls (with fresh orange zest) which she’d pass out to the house-cleaning people at the hotel in lieu of a tip. I remember struggling to carry the suitcase from the “bus station” to the Tuller. It probably wasn’t far, but it sure seemed like we walked forever and paying for a taxi was out of the question. While in Detroit, we’d go to Bob-Lo Island and visit the Vernors plant. I got to explore Hudson’s glorious shopping mecca, and we’d dine at the Bonjo Grill.
One Mother’s Day she was named “Mother of the Year” by the Midland Daily News. Yet this was a woman, who’d never given birth.
She was a caring, loving lady; a beautiful white-haired fashion plate, who knew style and was ahead of her time.
She loved me more than anyone in my life and was always there for me to praise when I deserved it, or to show disapproval when I let her down. I remember the time she cried after scolding me. I was two or three and I’d spit toward another child. She took a minor swat at my rear end and then we both cried.
She endured a lot healthwise. There was the summer of 1956 when she found a lump in her breast. After her surgery, I took care of her and watched her bravely work to recover her strength after her mastectomy.
My grandfather died in early 1961.
Grandma had a heart attack in late 1961 and the cancer returned in 1962.
Grandma passed away in 1963.
She shaped my life and my character. She taught me to sew and crochet and because of her, I learned to tat. I still miss her and I still need her approval.
I have a lot I need to do. The flooring installer and his crew should be coming early next week to lay the new flooring. I need to find places for all the stuff that “sits out” so the guys can move the furniture.
I hate gray weather. I really don’t handle dreary days very well.
Our yard is knee deep in leaves. The trees were really pretty a week ago, but the rain and wind are stripping them of all the foliage. It’s wet so the clean up will have to wait until they dry out. John has a riding lawn mower which allows him to bag the leaves without a lot of heavy work. He’s anxious to get started, but today will be an inside day.
Last night we missed the Picks and Sticks concert in Midland. Maybe we overly cautious but the H1N1 flu virus has hit the Midland area hard and it didn’t seem worth the risk to John’s health. He hasn’t been able to get the shot for H1N1 yet. (We have both had the seasonal flu shot.) With our luck someone with the bug would have sat close to us and John’s pulmonologist said that you really aren’t safe up to 50 feet from someone who has it.
On December 14, at 2:13, we hope to be heading into Kentucky (give or take a minute or two and with the hope that the weather cooperates).
I’ve been having fun working with a new (2010) version of Streets and Trips, my GPS program. I have the detailed route planned for our southbound trip to Florida in December. Of course something could change our plans and I try always to stay flexible, but that’s our intention at this point.
I know it’s my quirk. I love “planning” things out precisely. You can see my Michigan to Florida three-day route here:
I don’t just do trip plans. I also do packing lists, to-do-before-we-leave lists, want-to-do-when-we-get-there lists, need-to-remember, etc. etc. Ok, so I’m a little quirky but I worked for 23 years as a hospital planner, and I guess somewhere along the way I caught the “planning bug.”
But we have way too much clutter. We’re NOT “organized.” Maybe my lists keep things arranged in my mind.
When I thought we’d be heading to Florida in September, I had my bags packed.
Actually I hadn’t really unpacked after I returned home June 13th (after my solo trip south). Since then, I had left a majority of my Florida clothing in the suitcase.
I’ve already duplicated most of the non-clothes items so there are doubles of many items in Florida as well as Michigan (printer, phone system, jewelry cleaner, hair drier, etc.), but my favorite clothing items have been dragged back and forth repeatedly.
In September, when we had to postpone/cancel the September-November trip to Florida because of John’s illness, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, I started looking at things very differently. I realize how fragile life is and how you need to protect your health assets. You also need to be prepared for whatever comes along.
I want to preserve my husband’s energy. I would definitely like to see us start “flying” rather than driving that long trip. Of course we can’t do that as long as we have our little dog, but sadly we know she isn’t well and probably won’t be with us much longer. Flying would be a lot easier on John and that should be our primary consideration. I don’t drive the truck at all (it scares me and I’d be a nervous wreck in the traffic), so all of the driving is on him while I navigate. It’s nearly 1,300 miles but at least we do it at a leisure pace over three days. There have been times when airline tickets were actually cheaper than driving and staying in motels but that shouldn’t be the deciding factor.
We have a car down there, so we’d just have to have a shuttle or friend take us to and from the airport.
Since I’m now thinking along those lines, I am revising what I’ll be taking to Florida in December and definitely what I’ll be bringing back with me when we return in April. I’m going to try hard to divide my clothes and leave things in one location or the other. I’m starting by leaving my Michigan clothes for next spring and summer. I dress differently in Florida anyway, lots more capris and dressy casual attire. A lot of “party-type dresses.”
When we bought our Florida condo last October, I told John the condo was like an “insurance policy.” Since I’m younger than John and women generally outlive their spouses, I said, “If I am ever alone, I would want to live in Florida.” I would have a hard time handling the chores around our Saginaw home but the condo would be easy for me. Our condo community, Kings Point, even has shuttle service and bus trips for residents who no longer want to drive. The neighborhood is friendly, a perfect place for an individual or an older but limited couple.
Our friends, Jim and Sissy, just sold their up-north house and are now full-timing in Florida. Part of the reason is because Jim has Parkinsons and they feel it will be easier on him to only have one place to worry about.
I doubt that John will be ready to give up our Michigan home anytime soon, but maybe someday, since his disease is “progressive,” he’ll realize that our home is too much work and he needs to conserve as much of his energy as possible so he can stay as well and enjoy life without the responsibilities of a big house. That may be a long way off, but then again it may not. No one can tell how long the medication he’s on will keep the fibrosis (scarring of his lungs) at bay. He’s doing so good now, that I can be hopeful that it’ll never be an issue, but I still want to be prepared. It’ll be easier to start by setting us up to be able to go back and forth without bringing every piece of clothing I own.
So I’m going through the stuff I had planned to bring back to Florida and I want to get used to “traveling light.” What I take down there won’t be coming back with me. (Or at least most of the stuff.) If I find I don’t have something I need and it’s in the other location, I’ll replace it.
With this mind-set, I will be doing a lot of things differently. My husband’s comfort and health is my primary concern. He is definitely able to drive it now, but who knows how he’ll be next year. We may end up with six months here and six months in Florida: April-September in Michigan and October-March in Florida. Whatever is best for John.
I just ordered this dress to wear to the Kings Point Dance Club annual dinner dance we’ll be attending in February. It is perfect (or I hope so). Now I need to get the body toned up to show it off.
I also recently purchased a pretty jade two piece crocheted dress for a special evening, the Michigan Club Dinner Dance. It was held at the end of January last year and was a lovely event. The dinner was spectacular and I’ve never seen decorations that were any more beautiful. (They had rented live potted palm trees decorated with small white lights which completely surrounded the huge ballroom.)
I really miss the social life in Kings Point, where we have our condo. Hopefully we’ll make it back for a house party Christmas Eve and a New Year’s Eve party. (We have a couple to choose from.)
In January, we already have several events on our calendar including a dance and a dinner dance.
February should be fun too. Hopefully Brenda and John will have their fun Super Bowl party again. February 16th is the dinner dance where I’ll plan to wear my new dress.
Most of the events are casual, with the exception of New Year’s Eve, some of the dances. Sometimes it’s fun to get dressed up and feel like the evening is special. Several times a month we attend some kind of a potluck or get together and every Thursday there’s the fun Rockin Rendezvous at the South Club House.
John will look special too. He bought a new suit in April (which he hasn’t worn yet). Hopefully it’ll still fit. He’s lost a lot of weight because of his health problem. He may have lost it, but I’ve found it!
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NOTE: One week later (Friday, October 23rd) the dress arrived. I was horribly disappointed. The “gems” on the front were gaudy and ugly. When I put it on, it was huge!! I had ordered medium. I am about a size 8 and the measurements definitely said I should wear a medium. John and I could have fit in the dress together. The underarm gapped out a good six inches. It was 8″-10″ too long, but that would have been easy to fix. It’ll be going back. And no, I won’t be reordering it in a small because I doubt that even a small would be flattering.
John had his one month follow up from his biopsy today. Everything looks good. Dr. Maresca said that his lungs sound much better and he can see the difference in the way John breaths when he walks. It’s the Predisone. Dr. Maresca also has a health problem and said he was on Prednisone for a lengthy time. He said, although there is no conclusive proof, when he was on Prednisone, he read up on ways to avoid the side-effects and found there was a recommendation for additional vitamin A. (Which we bought on the way home.)
I’m hopeful and so is John. And it’s hope and optimism that are critical for staying ahead of the disease.
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Yesterday one of Mom’s sisters, my Aunt Betty Jean died of emphysema. We went to the funeral home. Aunt Betty was a heavy smoker. She continued to smoke, even after the emphysema was so bad that she was on oxygen 24/7. We were looking at a bulletin board of photos of Aunt Betty Jean’s life. One of the pictures showed her, with my Aunt Ruth, and Aunt Ruth’s husband. The three of them have died. All three had emphysema. All three were smoking in that photo. Sad.
And John’s problem isn’t emphysema, but it’s a lung problem. He didn’t smoke. It seems so unfair!!
Today the second “wood floor guy” came to give us a bid on the installation of hardwood flooring in our great room and dining room. It’s a good-sized area (782 square feet!) The flooring we’ve picked out is lovely (solid 3/4″ Brazillian cherry). It’s a decent sized so both companies have drooled as we told them what we want.
I think we’ll go with the local installer. The other company we called was the floor-covering giant Empire. I’d rather go with a small local business and besides they’re charging less.
I can only imagine what it’ll look like with that lovely flooring, two new small white accent chairs, new white area rug, several white throw pillows and a new black and white wall-hanging with a splash of red. We’ll keep our charcoal leather loveseat and couch and maybe add some red accents. It’ll all be grand and totally fashionable. I hope we can get started tomorrow!!
There was ice in the bird bath when we got up this morning. The leaves are starting to change to vivid reds but they are still firmly clinging to the trees.
A year ago, we were moving into our “new” Florida condo. It was an exciting time filled with the promise of a wonderful future in Sun City Center. I’m still very glad we bought the place. The two of us haven’t been able to go back since last April, but we’re hoping to be back down there before Christmas.
I went through my posts to this blog last night. When I was looking over what I wrote last year, I found a post which talks about how COLD it was in Florida at the end of October 2008. This year the temperatures down there are HOT. It appears that by the end of next week, it’ll cool from the mid 90’s (where it is now) to the 80’s but that’s certainly different than the 60 degree high we had on October 28th a year ago.
I realize that when we arrive in mid-December, two months from now, we may be faced with chilly temps. After we arrive it may get even cooler since January is the coldest month of the year down there with occasional frosts. I’m just hoping all the warm days aren’t used up before we head south.
Today we shopped for hardwood flooring for the great room, foyer, and dining room and I think we have picked out what we want. It’s a pretty very hard hardwood called Brazillian Cherry. A lovely warm color.
We’re ready to do it, but we are waiting for the installer to tell us when he can start. We’ll have the carpet ripped up and put it in our bedrom. We’ll also (probably) put wood on the stairs to the upstairs since they are visible from the living room.
The next project will be the kitchen granite counter top and then new flooring in the kitchen, 1/2 bath, and utility room. We aren’t sure what we want to do with those floors. I’m leaning toward ceramic. John would like wood at least in the kitchen.
The great room project is enough for now. One project at a time.
We would like to get it done so we can enjoy it some before we head to Florida in December.
I don’t understand why people enjoy this site. I know some folks read it regularly while others stop by only occasionally (or when they wonder what we’ve been doing).
Last night I went to the statistics area of my domain. I use a recording system called Webalizer and it computes how many “hits” the site has had. It tabulates them monthly.
This collection of websites I design and host, keeps me busy.
Last night, when I reviewed the statistics, I was surprised at what I found. Obviously the biggest, most popular site is http://dulcimers.com. It gets nearly 2.5 million hits a year. There’s a wide gap between it and the other sites on the list. The number two site in popularity is a virtual “tie” between my sales site http://dulcimers.biz. and THIS SITE,http://sharons-blog.com. Both the sales site and this blog have over 205,000 hits annually. The fact that this site is so popular shocked me.
Why would anyone read this blog? Our lives are dull. I have a tendency to ramble. Sometimes it reads like a diary as a way of recording what we’re doing. Other times, it’s a wish list. Sometimes it’s just narrative of something that intrigues me.
On a personal level, I’ve told the story of how I found my brother (which you can find on the side bar under the heading “family matters.” ) It’s been a travel site when we went out West in 2006. Recently I’ve been following the drama of John’s health crisis.
This site is much too self-involved and there are those who probably see it as an ego trip, but in fact, for most of my life I’ve kept a “journal.” This blog has taken the place of a private journal. It helps keep family and friends up-to-date with what we’re doing, and it lets me record our life so I can go back and review occasionally. Like you, I enjoy re-reading the stuff we’ve done and how I felt about it at the time.
Today I spoke with the Florida Pulmonary Specialist’s office (we haven’t met him, but he was suggested by my Florida internal medicine doctor) and explained how we are hesitating to come to Florida because we want John to have the advantage of Dr. Indira’s treatment plan before we leave for the south.
After talking to that office and thinking about it, I realize that we may be giving John a unique opportunity.
Here in Saginaw it would be an affront to visit another Pulmonary Specialist to get a second opinion, but since we’ll be in Florida, we’ll have the advantage of a second physician reviewing everything without it being a “challenge” to the first physician. So everything Dr. Indira in Saginaw is doing will be reviewed by Dr. Graves in Sun City Center. He’ll confirm the treatment plan or suggest a revision. Therefore we’ll have two doctors working on John’s problem instead of only one.
The doctor in Sun City Center is used to working with a “northern” doctors. He’ll be accustomed to blending his treatment with that of another doctor. But we’ll also have the advantage of having a second doctor review everything so we can be sure John is getting the best treatment for his condition.
John agrees that it sounds like an excellent plan. So hopefully we can leave on December 14th. If Dr. Indira feels she needs another week or two, we can revise our schedule, but we figure that if she knows when we are leaving, she’ll make it work.
John went to his pulmonary specialist today. She reviewed John’s condition and although she sure didn’t make promises, she said all the right things to keep his spirits up. She told of having a partient with John’s same diagnosis who is still living and WORKING as a teacher. He was diagnosed about seven years ago. Obviously John was glad to hear what she said. She also said he is responding well with Prednisone. His lungs are sounding better.
I am optimistic. His doctor (Dr. Indira) is cautiously hoping to wean John off Prednisone, but it’ll depend on how he does. John has a slight inflamation at the site of his surgical procedure. She wants to wait two more weeks before cutting back on the Prednisone and starting him on Imuron. She wouldn’t start him on the other medication until the inflammation is gone because she didn’t want to take a chance that he’d develop an infection if she moved him to the other medication. And if she just cut back the Prednisone, he’d lose what he seems to have gained. So he will stay on this medical schedule for two more weeks and then we’ll see.
I had my list of “questions” for her. She could tell I’ve been doing my homework, and I think she appreciated my efforts on John’s behalf.
We do need to be sure that we have a doctor lined up in Florida. She said she couldn’t see any reason why he won’t be ready to head to Florida in December, but we may need to hold off so the medication schedule can be adjusted. We will do whatever needs to happen for John. That’s the primary focus.
Today I posted this to my Facebook page: “John has been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (usual interstitial pneumonia) and without fail, everyone asks, “Did John smoke?” The answer is “NO!!!” He tried a pipe for a few months in the 1980’s but never really was a pipe smoker and the doctors have said that pipes are not like cigarettes. But No, John did not cause his diagnosis. It was some other, totally unknown reason.”
I hope everyone realizes that all of this extremely sad. There is no one who loves their spouse more than I love John. He’s my other half. He’s the echo to everything I say. He’s my supporter. He’s my friend. I don’t know how to be more supportive than I am. I’m trying my best to do everything possible.
The one thing which has hurt me more than anything else was when I heard that some folks feel that, because I once worked for a hospital, I could have done more for John’s care and diagnosis.
There is NOTHING I could have done more efficiently nor effectively than I have done. I have been beside him all the way through this diagnosis. I am a non-medical person but I’ve pushed harder than was probably wise (using my old St. Mary’s responsibilities to sound impressive), to gain John a step up. But there is NOTHING anyone could have done more than I’ve done.
It hurt horribly to hear folks say I didn’t try hard enough.
In 1980, when I went to work for St. Mary’s I was just a secretary. Yes, I worked my way up the chain and into an administrative position. Yes, it was with hard work. But my influence was primarily at the state level. I knew how to get a piece of equipment approved using an indepth understanding of the system. But all of the influence I was able to achieve for hospitals was built on knowledge of what was permitted. That didn’t help a dern bit when I needed help for my husband now in 2009. I’ve been retired for over five years. I sure didn’t have any remaining clout. No one would know my name. Sure I once helped hospitals get services, but even those same hospitals couldn’t have done a thing to help me get John faster service.
I was hurt by loose talk that inferred that Sharon Skaryd didn’t work hard enough on her husband’s behalf and she could have used her clout to somehow “fix him.” Afterall she worked at a hospital for over twenty years.
Those folks who feel that way or said those words can definitely make me feel guilty, because everyone feels they should do more, but in fact, they are only speaking babble that makes no sense.
I have always claimed that the rainy fall days in Michigan are my least favorite time of year in our beautiful state. I hate the pervasive chill and the dreary skys. It can also be that way in the Spring, but it seems that Fall is always more rainy and in the Spring know that nice weather will soon be coming. In Fall, the weather that’s coming will be even colder.
Today was that kind of too cool, dark day.
I know my moods are weather dependent. Give me a lovely sunny day, and I’ll feel up-beat. If there’s gloom in my world with skys that are dark, that’s what you get from me.
I guess that’s why I so love Florida. January and February are generally cool, but by cool I mean 70’s. March-June it’s becoming very warm with temps 80-90. July and August it’s dern hot: 90+ degrees. September you’re back into the 80-90’s and by December it’s cooled down to the low 80’s or 70’s. But through it all, there never seems to be a really gloomy period. Yes, we’ve had to endure a week or two of rainy cool temperatures, but I can take that. In fact, it’s been rare when we haven’t been able to go to the pool and soak up some rays any time of the year.
How can I combat the problem? Pray for an early winter. Surprisingly when winter truly hits with white snow which sparkles, I generally cheer up. But when it’s like this, I have a rough time.
So today I looked forward and did what I could to plan for the future. I’ve been going through my packing list, and making sure I know just what I need to do before we take off in December for Florida. Of course, with John’s health so shakey, it’s possible that we’ll have to postpone or even cancel our trip. If we find that we just can’t go to our condo this year, I’ll make the best of it. I’m actually very “flexible” and I’ll take it all in stride.
But I hope we know by mid-late November for sure that we are going (or not). That way I can organize my Christmas plans. At this point, I think we’ll be in Florida for nine days before Christmas Day. It would be fun to plan a holiday party about the 23rd. We’d need to decorate for the season. Figure out some good food, and have a bottle or two of wine.
I left most of my favorite holiday decorations in Florida last year.
Actually I’d love to take a small “real” tree with us from Michigan down there, but I’m realizing that with my allergies it’s probably not wise. (My eyes burn horribly when I’m in the same room with a real tree.) I wouldn’t mind buying a quality artificial tree to have in the corner of our condo living room. I don’t know how John would feel about that, but one-way or the other, I want us to enjoy a Christmas tree this year.
Here are the average numbers for Florida’s temps:
Month; high; low; precipitation; record high; record low
Jan 72°F 49°F 2.79 in. 86°F (1990) 18°F (1981)
Feb 74°F 50°F 3.13 in. 90°F (1961) 24°F (1996)
Mar 77°F 54°F 3.02 in. 92°F (1961) 29°F (1996)
Apr 81°F 59°F 2.05 in. 95°F (1968) 36°F (1987)
May 86°F 64°F 2.98 in. 98°F (1962) 41°F (1999)
Jun 89°F 70°F 7.09 in. 101°F (1985) 51°F (1984)
Jul 90°F 72°F 7.57 in. 99°F (1968) 62°F (1978)
Aug 90°F 72°F 8.67 in. 101°F (1998) 64°F (1984)
Sep 89°F 72°F 7.45 in. 99°F (1998) 57°F (1991)
Oct 85°F 65°F 2.78 in. 97°F (1959) 43°F (1964)
Nov 79°F 58°F 2.31 in. 92°F (1959) 25°F (1970)
Dec 74°F 52°F 2.25 in. 89°F (1961) 20°F (1962)
Sun City Center, FL Weather Facts:
The average warmest month is July.
The highest recorded temperature was 101°F in 1998.
On average, the coolest month is January.
The lowest recorded temperature was 18°F in 1981.
The maximum average precipitation occurs in August.
Today we were busy but nothing outstanding was accomplished.
John had to re-do his welding on the pipes for the master shower.
I tried to get our Christmas tunes ready for our dulcimer club’s October 16th practice. In the spring, when we came home from Florida, I intentionally left our Christmas tune book and all my autoharp chord cards down there because I figured that’s where we’d need them. So today John borrowed a copy of the tune book we play from, and I started re-creating what I’d left at the condo. It took the afternoon, but that’s cheaper than a trip to Florida.
John went to Home Depot and did a little shopping. When he got home he was exhausted.
My sexy husband, John, played today with George’s pick-up bank at a St. Charles, MI, community event. John was on banjo and he was reallllllllly good. He kept his beat and played the correct melody so when everyone else got lost, he was their beacon.
But that’s not why I adore him. He’s a genuinely nice guy. He is in a weakened state, so he let me “carry” much of the sound equipment but he was reluctant. I insisted, and we got him all packed up.
They started playing at noon. I showed up about 1:30 and he glowed when I walked in (that’s why I love him). He winked at me. He let me know he was glad I came, and he made me proud.
What more could an old lady like me ask for?
I’m 67. I’m no babe. I’m waaaaay over the hill, but he makes me feel that I’m a sexy, young hot lady. I sure love that guy!
Our master bath shower has been dripping for some time. It’s really become annoying because there’s no way to stop the drip and it’s close to our bedroom. When the house was quiet, the loud drip – drip – drip was enough to drive you crazy. (The only way not to hear it was to close the door, but when the bathroom door was closed it was hard to see your way to the bathroom without turning on a light.) John determined that the shower needed a new washer or something like that in the “handle” part of the shower, but we also wanted a new shower head (one of those disk types). We bought the shower head a couple of days ago in preparation. (The literature with the shower head said it would be a 15 minute job.)
So this morning, armed with determination and the new shower head, John started what we both felt would be a tiny job: the washer first and then the shower head install.
Unfortunately over the 24 years since it was installed, the handle action had frozed up and there was no way to replace the washer. In the process of cranking on it, a pipe broke, making it necessary to replace the whole handle assembly.
And since the shower didn’t have a shut-off of its own, all the water in the house was shut off for the duration of the project.
A hole had to be cut through the wall of the front hall closet (which shares a wall with the shower) so we could work on the problem.
John drove to Home Depot and got the parts he needed.
He had to weld the parts with a welding torch. The fire alarm kept going off because the torch would put out sooty smoke. It was therefore a very loud, dirty job. The oily soot got all over everything. (I’ll be cleaning it up for a long while.)
But we were making head-way when the acetalene ran out. The only supplier was about 15 miles away (30 round-trip). John had already over-done it, so I insisted on going after the stuff and he stayed home to rest.
When I got back, he looked a little better and we completed the job. It took from about 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
This is the third year John and I have attended “the Follies,” a stage production featuring local talent from the Sun City Center, FL, area. 
We enjoy our condo but we’re realizing that there are some changes we’d like to make. 
Today was the last day for the Busch Gardens Holiday Ice Show and last weekend for the rest of their holiday presentations. We’d wanted to go on the 23rd, but Willow wasn’t well enough to leave for the day. She’s much better now, so we decided to go. I’m so glad we did. The shows were exceptional.
John installed one of our two new ceiling fans today. The other one will be installed tomorrow. 
I’m a person who vowed never to have an artificial tree, but my allergies have gotten so bad and, with John’s lung condition, a real tree (complete with molds and fungi) would not be wise.
When we arrived yesterday and opened the door from our living room toward the golf course, here’s what we saw. We’d planted a small flowerless poinsettia last year. It had been a luncheon centerpiece and door prize in about a 4″ pot. This year it’s magnificant. What a lovely Christmas-y greeting. 
When it comes to Toe Trouble, I’ve had more than my share. If you’ve followed this blog you know I have frequent 
