Sharon's Blog

We made it home by about 3:00 this afternoon. Our trip north took three rather uneventful days.

Monday things started out negatively. Everything was packed and John moved the truck in the driveway so I could get in for the 1,300 mile trip from Florida to Michigan. Just as I was ready to close the truck door, John said “Oh, no!”

The brakes weren’t working at all. The brake line had sprung a leak and the brake fluid was in a puddle under the vehicle. With no brakes weren’t going to be able to leave. But in less than three hours we were on the road. John had been prepared with a new brake line and a couple of bottles of brake fluid, and he quickly replaced the line. We were headed north before 11:30 a.m. — three hours behind schedule.

The brakes worked fairly well, but really needed to have the air purged from the line. He tried to open the valves on each tire to allow him to purge them but they were frozen up. The car stopped firmly, but when they were depressed John felt they were a little “mushy” and I sensed his tension.

The trip was therefore more difficult than usual. With him being tense, I became his extra, vigilant eyes. We drove even slower and more cautious than we normally would have. We stayed in the right rather than the left lane and maintained lots of space between us and other vehicles on the road. John tried to get the brakes serviced while in route, but no one could take the truck in on short notice and since they did respond (even though mushy), we kept going. John would never have risked us if he’d felt they weren’t safe. It was just that they just didn’t feel as firm as usual, and the difference put both of us on edge.

About 50 miles from the northern Georgia border, we ran into swarms of lovebugs. They covered the truck and made it hard to see. We stopped at a rest area to clear the windshield, and while stopped, the pesky critters made outside existence miserable. By the time we were 10 miles into Georgia, there were no more bugs, but we carried their bodies back with us.

Traffic wasn’t bad except around Atlanta when we ran into a massive jam-up. (TV news reports explained that there’d been a police chase down I-75 to catch a bank robber. The robber lost control and crashed. We caught the end of resulting traffic tie-up.)

First night we stayed at a lovely Quality Inn in Marrietta, Georgia. Of course we arrived later than we’d planned, but it was before 7:30.

The room was large, pleasant, fresh smelling, clean, and the staff was really nice. They even gave us a gift box for being a preferred guest. (The box contained oranges, apples, bottled water and Chitos.) We enjoyed a pleasant late dinner at a nearby Cracker Barrel (the next building). Tuesday morning we were impressed with the huge free buffet for guests. The buffet included eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, toast, sweet breads, bagels, waffles, hot or cold cereal, and/or lots of fruit choices plus an array of juices and morning beverages like tea, coffee and milk.

No lunch break. We just nibbled in route. Arrived at our motel in Miamisburg, Ohio, about 5:30. Again we stayed at a Quality Inn. (They’ve become our motel of choice.) This was one we’d enjoyed last year when we were headed north. It was just as nice this year, although the free breakfast wasn’t quite as spectacular as we’d enjoyed in Marrietta but with waffles, sweet breads, biscuits and gravy, cereals and yogurt, we sure didn’t go hungry. (We did miss the fresh fruit.)

Except for quick rest stops, we drove straight through and made it home by about 3:00. .

Our Michigan residence welcomed us. It was chilly inside (about 60), but with outside temperatures of about 80, we didn’t complain. Our house was a little stale, but absolutely no problems. Grass looked shaggy, and a bunch of branches littered the lawn, but nothing to complain about. (Mice did get inside our travel trailer, but except for droppings, it doesn’t appear there was damage.)

We considered the trip totally successful. John will make sure the truck brakes are working better before we use it again, but he did a great job getting us safely home. We’re both tired but it feels good to be here.

With a week to go, we’ve been cramming in lots of fun activities. This weekend we had a good time at a Michigan Club Kentucky Derby Party and a brunch celebration of Richard ending his chemo treatments.

I’ve been packing and feel everything is just about ready to move from the “staging area” into the truck. The little bit that’s left to be done can be completed last minute.

This afternoon we’ll attend a bar-be-que and go to our last line dance class. Tomorrow we’ll have fun at karaoke at the South Club. Wednesday evening I want to go to Little Harbor to take in a lovely sunset and enjoy their wonderful burger specials. Thursday is our last Rockin’ Rendezvous and good-bye to lots of folks we only see at the Club House. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I plan to hang out at the pool. Sunday evening we’ll attend an Oldies But Goodies Dance with music by our favorite group, Flash Back.

We leave a week from today.

Already I’m counting down to the return trip.

Our departure from Florida will occur May 13th, two weeks from tomorrow. I have a lot of cleaning and packing to accomplish.

Wish I liked cleaning and packing like I do being at the pool but I find the lure of warm water and friends hard to resist.

Between now and the 13th, we have a couple parties and dances. Maybe we just won’t find time to leave.

Yesterday a bunch of us (close to 30 folks) gathered at the bowling alley on Big Bend Road in Riverview for a birthday party for two of our good friends: Shelly Brooks and Ron Ringenback. It was fun although both John and I bowled lousy!! From there, we went from the alley to Asian Fusion in Apollo Beach for a lovely buffet. It was a totally enjoyable time!

Today was cloudy and overcast. John played pickleball this morning and I should have gone to the pool, but instead we went shopping and didn’t get home until mid-afternoon. After getting home, I worked on the workshops for the Original Dulcimer Players Club Funfest and the website for that club.

I need to focus on scheduling workshops. It’s a huge job and I really need to apply myself.

Tomorrow night (Sunday), we’ll enjoy an Oldies but Goodies dance with a bunch of our friends. Monday and Tuesday we have pool parties. It’s all so much fun.

This is why I love our time in Florida.

Many women complain when their husbands or other males leave the toilet seat up. Most ladies have had the unpleasant experiencing of “falling in” when we expected the seat down, and it was in an “up” position. The hard, cold porcelain greeting us (or worse the water in the bowl) is a rude awakening (especially in the middle of the night.)

At our house, it’s not a problem. After we both listened to an explanation of the micro-fine, germ-laden mist which envelops the bathroom, when a toilet is flushed, we both vowed to put the seat COVER down before flushing. So if you come to our house, you’ll find the cover is always down. To me it seems strange now to see the innards of the toilet bowl.

When I use the “facilities” in friends’ houses, I lower the cover out of habit before flushing. I’m sure John probably does the same.

It’s an excellent habit to develop. That way both the males and females have a responsibility to “put the seat down.” And, more importantly, your bathroom will have fewer nasty germs.

This is an interesting study:

Dove soap did an experiment.

A former forensic artist for the San Jose police department met a series of women and asked each to describe the way they look. He had no way of seeing them behind a curtain. He prompted them to detail everything: hair length, facial structure, their most prominent features. He then sketched each participant from their self-description.

Each woman was asked before the study to get to know one of the other participants. The forensic artist then prompted each woman to describe the other’s face. The results are fascinating.

We’re so critical of ourselves. This should be a lesson to each of us.

Today, as I walked to the pool, I noticed the grass beside the sidewalk. I’m not referring to lovely thick green grass like that on golf courses; I’m talking about the stuff that survives in high traffic areas next to sidewalks here and there.

I noticed large patches of green (probably about a foot or more in diameter). In Michigan, those clumps would have been made up of sweet green clover. At first (from a distance), I thought I was approaching a clover patch and looked forward to hunting for a four-leaf (which I frequently do when I spot clover in Michigan.) But this morning, the weeds which filled the area were strange to me. These were multi-leafed, growing much like clover, but many leaves on straight stems.

There is NO clover that I’ve seen in Florida.

I miss Michigan vegetation. Down here we have no spring flowers (lilac, tulips, crocus, daffodil). There are no maple trees, Michigan oaks, elms, birch trees, willow, white pine and spruce. None of those grow here in our central area of Florida (or, if they are here, I haven’t spotted them.)

In Florida we have a native tree called an oak complete with acorns, but the leaves don’t look at all like the lobed leaves of a Michigan oak tree. Our Florida oaks are often festooned with Spanish moss which sways like a dancer’s skirt but these aren’t the oaks of my youth.

And here in Florida, we have a whole host of palms which could never survive in Michigan, but I can’t begin to identify any of the various sub-species of palms.

I need to go back to Girl Scouts or summer camp. In summer camp, we were required to identify lots of trees by their leaves and as a Girl Scout, I won a merit badge for identifying trees.

Maybe with that incentive I’d learn the difference between date palms, fan palms, queen palms, royal palms and areca palms.

I somehow feel that if I could identify the vegetation here in Florida, I’d feel even more that is my home permanent home. Afterall, I can tell you about the maple trees I climbed as a child in Midland, or the white pines that have grown with unbelievable speed at our place in the U.P. But I can’t tell you what the “red bottle brush” is actually called. I just know it’s pretty.

It’s kind of a trade-off. Down here, in addition to the palms, we enjoy colorful hibiscus, birds of paradise, gardenias, and many sensitive plants that we use as “house plants” in Michigan but here in Florida grow outdoors.

Bottle Brush Tree Flower:

I know at least one friend who pops in every morning to see if I’ve added to this blog known as “Sharon’s Blog.”

Like my friend who visits my blog and enjoys my posts, I look forward to some blog posts written by a friend: Judith Lindenau. Judith’s daily blog draws me in. She writes beautifully. Some of what she writes (unlike my posts), is fiction, but it’s all well done. I’m hooked. I’ve signed up for reminders that tell me when she’s posted and I never miss her writings.

I strongly recommend her to those who appreciate interesting, brief essays. You can find them under the title Mice in the Cupboard.

I can almost guarantee you’ll love Judith’s blog. She has a home in Eleuthera, an island in the Bahamas. Many of her posts have to do with her life there. I truly believe that you’ll enjoy her beautiful, descriptive prose. Try her. I think you’ll be hooked too.

Very relucantly we’ll soon be leaving Florida (probably about May 13th.)

I’m starting to make my lists of things I must remember to do before we leave. I’m also preparing packing lists.

About two weeks before we leave, I’ll start a “staging area.” Some stuff has to wait until last minute to be rounded up, but there are always lots of items I don’t want to forget. This year I’m determined to to leave most of my clothes here in Florida. The stuff I haven’t worn this season will go back with me (or I’ll purge/donate it). I don’t want to forget that I need about a dozen nice casual outfits to wear while we’re at our big festival in July.

Of course this year wasn’t like last. We didn’t have any severe cold requiring a “winter wardrobe.” Most years I’ve worn my Michigan heavy jacket a few times, but not this year. (I may take it back to Michigan with me because reports are that spring is refusing to arrive and it’s still threatening to snow!)

My overly-full closet is crowded with stuff that just hangs there unworn because it either doesn’t fit or isn’t in style. I’d love to lose about 20 pounds, but I’m no longer saving clothes with that in mind. Instead I want to reward myself, if I get back to a smaller size, with new outfits. So as I pack, rather than just pushing unused stuff to the back of the closet, I’m going to purge a lot of items.

On the topic of weight, I will readily admit that I didn’t do what I’d promised myself before I left for Florida. I thought that coming here, where I’m dressed in skimpier attire and I’m more active, would help me lose weight. But I hadn’t counted on the potlucks, the party food, the wine and beer, and the dining out experiences which have occurred every few days.

I have no will-power when it comes to those dining events that make up so much of our social life here. I hope, when I get back to Michigan, I can concentrate on a diet and shed some weight. With the incentive of looking better in the fall for Florida and approximately 140 days in Michigan, I hope I’ll do better than I have this winter. (I’ve gained nearly five pounds over the past six months!)

Last July, when we were at our big dulcimer festival, we bought another instrument for me to play, a marimbula. I didn’t want to give up my autoharp, but we felt the strong beat of the marimbula would enhance our music.

The photos to the left are of a marimbula. It sounds like an upright bass but easier to tote around. The thought, when we bought it, was that I could learn how to play it with our Florida group, Kings Strings.

(Kings Strings is made up of four of us: Wayne Conklin and my husband John play hammered dulcimer, and Linda Conklin and me are on autoharp. John occasionally also plays tenor banjo, Wayne sometimes sings and adds ukulele, and Linda sometimes plays Irish drum aka a bodhran, in addition to her autoharp.)

I’m really not very musical and definitely lack confidence. I was easily discouraged when John picked it up and played my new instrument perfectly, while I was struggling.

We brought it with us when we came south in October but I only played the autoharp and the marimbula sat idle in our dining room.

At a recent practice, the Conklins convinced me to try playing the marimbula. We needed the beat and that instrument would help. With their encouragement I made the effort. I’ll admit, it sounded pretty good so I practiced after that and prepared to play three or four tunes with our group, when we performed for a pizza party on April 4th. (I picked tunes with a Latin beat.)

The day of the performance arrived. I was tense and John didn’t feel well. Tension and illness don’t help a performance. The last minute run-through went smoothly but a good dress-rehearsal is said to be a bad sign.

During our show, although my playing of the Marimbula was successful, I was concentrating on the marimbula so intently that I lost it on the autoharp. I’ve never played worse (on the ‘harp). In fact all four of us had problems on one tune or another.

The audience may not have known that we weren’t playing as good as we usually do. We were disappointed but our audience loved us.

Since that night, we’ve had gobs of favorable comments. Audiences don’t notice small flaws and I think folks felt supportive of my playing because I told them it was my first public exposure with my new instrument. That helped get them on our side.

Next time I’ll feel more comfortable with my big baby, the Marimbula. I am determined to do better!!!

Today I planned to spend the whole day at the South Club pool. We haven’t been at the pool much over the past month because of the huge crowds and our busy calendar. As I planned for today, I hoped that the spring break grandchildren and other guests would have headed back north. I also expected that many snow birds would have left for their northern homes.

My plans were for a quiet day at poolside reading and soaking up the wonderful Florida sunshine.

I walked to the pool before 10:00 a.m. By arriving as early as I did, I had managed to secure two lounge chairs in my favorite shady corner. John joined me when he finished playing pickleball.

As it turned out today’s crowd was huge. By noon it was totally packed with no extra loungers or chairs.

At one point about 1:00, I was in the pool. When I got out, a crowd of ladies had “moved in.” They brought in chairs so close they were touching our chairs in a circle around us. Sure, when you go to a crowded pool deck, you expect to be close to other chairs and people, but these ladies squeezed more chairs into the space normally alloted for two lounge chairs. Instead of the two of us, all of the sudden there were six!! We had folks inches on three sides of us. It became impossible to read because they were talking (loudly) over us. (One lounge chair by our feet, one beside and one behind us.) I couldn’t even get out of my chair because we were blocked in. John felt they were intentionally trying to make us uncomfortable so we’d leave. That made me more determined to stay.

I’ll be darned if I’d give up our chairs and give them a victory for their rudeness.

One of the ladies informed me that she usually sat where I was sitting. (Actually for about SIX years, that corner has been recognized as “our spot,” although any time we arrive after others have claimed that area, we find another place. That’s how it is. No spot at the pool is for anyone’s exclusive use!!!)

A year or two ago, I found myself in the position those ladies were in. I tried to slip in behind others where there wasn’t much space. But before I located my chair I asked the close-by people if it was ok, and I said, “If I’m too close, let me know.” Then I tried to be extra quiet and not “invade” their tranquility. I shut off my phone, I didn’t talk loudly. I was respectful. I honored the fact that they had arrived first.

These ladies didn’t even acknowledge us. They just moved in around us and all of the sudden our quiet afternoon was gone.

We headed home about 3:00.

So tomorrow I’m going to try again. I’ll go even earlier (9:00-9:30), aim for my favorite spot again, and hope that I’m not crowded out. From their conversations, I have a feeling that the one who was most difficult, may be leaving for a northern state soon, maybe even tomorrow morning.

I’m glad we have a month before we leave to get over this negative feeling.

John said, “Don’t dwell on it. Ignore them. They were inconsiderate.” But I was disappointed.

We’re looking forward to next week. By then most of the Easter/Spring break house guests who come down to Florida to visit relatives in our community should have returned home. We’ll have our pool back.

We had a cool spell during a lot of March (especially toward the end of the month) but it is now warm/hot and lovely.

Today we didn’t even bother to go to the pool because we know it’s packed!! When finding a parking place is impossible, you know that there won’t be a place to sit.

Actually this week we have a lot to anyway. Our music group, Kings Strings, is playing for Manchester’s pizza party on Thursday and Saturday John’s chorus is offering a concert. Both of those events will require practice and prep. That doesn’t leave a lot of free time.

I do see a totally open day on Friday. And after Saturday, I vow to devote several hours each day to pool time! We have a lot of late afternoon events on our calendar, but if I’m at the pool by 9:00, I can get at least five hours in each day before we hit our scheduled stuff.

It’s time!!!

—————–

Friday (April 5th) -

Wouldn’t cha know it. Finally have a free day and it’s not pool weather. We’ve had rain showers all morning. Now it’s windy and only 68 degrees. (A cold front is coming through.)

Tomorrow and Sunday should be lovely.

Tuesday/Wednesday night/early morning (probably about 1:30) I got up to go to the bathroom, came back, took a drink of water from the glass I always leave on my night stand. I pulled a Kleenex from the box beyond the glass of water and went back to bed. All of this was done without turning on a light but that’s nothing unusual.

About dawn I went to reach for my glass of water. There was a wet Kleenex in it! Strange!! When I took the soggy tissue from my glass, it was still hooked to another and another and another in the box. All wet!

Apparently when I’d pulled a Kleenex from the box at about 1:30 a second one had stuck to the first and dragged across the glass of water so the leading end was in the water, but it was also still connected to those in the box. In the the next five or six hours, the Kleenex tissue between the glass and the box had acted as a wick. The water leached back from the glass into the nearly-full box of Kleenex. In the end, the glass was empty, the box was full of wet tissues.

Who’d have ever imagined that could happen?

We are having an annoying problem with squirrels.

This area is landscaped with lots of native oak trees. (In fact, in order to clear the land, the original developers had to commit to keeping the native trees and planting more oaks.) This year, acorns were really plentiful. We crunched through them for months and keeping driveways and sidewalks clear of them was impossible. The street was orange from their crushed shells.

With the acorns, come squirrels. It’s not unusual to count a dozen or more of them at any time. You look across the ground and they are moving. The furry critters are fun to watch as they chase up and down trees and around the grassy area between us and the pond behind us. But their “play place” includes our screens. Our lanai screens are a favorite spot for them to chase up and down, but our new sliding door screens have also been an attractive for these furry creatures. They flatten themselves against the screen and can move easily across it.

We’re concerned that they’ll do damage. I’ve noticed they leave their tracks on the screen on the new doors and we’re not happy!! Our plan is to remove the new screens from their tracks and store them in the garage when we head back to Michigan but that doesn’t protect the lanai screens.

I want to buy some squirrel repellent (spray). I definitely plan to buy some but with our luck, they’ll love the smell.

We’re in for a cool day today with a high of 67 but after that, in the long-range forecast, I see only one temperature below 70! Hopefully this last segment of our 2012-13 winter in Florida will be lovely until we leave. Unfortunately our return to Michigan seems like it’s approaching much too fast.

We will be leaving about May 13th.

Soon I’ll be starting to pack up our “stuff.” I’m already working on lists. This year I vow not to drag as much back and forth. Eventually I’d love to fly back and forth rather than taking our truck but haven’t convinced John yet (although at least he’s now “thinking” about it.)

John feels it’s cheaper to drive our truck down, but I really doubt it. We could save the cost of five nights in motels (going and coming), meals on the road, and the storage area here in Kings Point where we store the truck, not to mention the wear and tear on us as well as our vehicle when we drive down on the very dangerous highways. I-75 is over-run with semis that make the trip truly scary.

True, if we fly down, we’ll need airport shuttle service to and from the airport and the cost of our flights. There’s also the problem of getting Charlie, our bird, to Florida but he’s getting really old, and we could always take him in a small cage under the seat in the plane.

A bigger problem might be our musical instruments. I hope I can find a way that the instrument problem can be resolved.

There are a couple solutions I can think of: We could use our extra instruments which are currently in Michigan when we’re in Michigan. Next season we can leave our favorite instruments in Florida. With instruments in both locations, we can consider flying down the following year (in October 2014). It’s the sort of change that we’ll have to plan for. The other choice would be to wait and when we decide to start flying, we can box up the instruments and ship them down (at a cost of approximately $30-$40 per instrument).

I think we need to seriously start working out the details so we can fly. John’s not getting any younger, and flying is so much safer than 1,300 miles each way. If I can convince John, we’ll need to start the long-range plan by bringing back stuff in the truck from Michigan to Florida in October 2013.

Mailing stuff is always possible but I’d hate to have to pay the postage to get things like my favorite dinnerware serving pieces which I’m missing here in Florida. I need to carefully review both places for items that need to be relocated and bring down as much as possible in October when we come back here.

The only maybe insurmountable problem I see will be our wine supply. We count on enjoying John’s wine over the winter. (I wonder if we could ship our grapes or the grape juice to Florida at a reasonable price so he could make the wine down here. It’s something we can look into.)

A very good day!! We went shopping and ended up at Goodson Farms where they have the best pressed Cuban sandwiches and large fresh strawberry shortcakes you can imagine. Today the Cubans and shortcakes were better than usual. It had finally warmed up and tomorrow will probably be a pool-day!! (mid to high 70′s) Came back and spent the afternoon compiling the info for our accountant so she can do our income taxes. (Feels good to have it ready to go to her.) Now we’re enjoying a glass of John’s homemade wine. Definitely a good day.

In the past, I have written a couple posts about how it’s difficult for snowbirds to keep stuff from spoiling when you leave it behind and head to your up-north home in the spring. Expiration dates are our enemy.

Here’s my earlier post: “Expiration Dates”

We have recognized the value of taking things like batteries and vitamins back and forth or storing them in the refrigerator. Shelf-life is greatly reduced in Florida’s summer heat. But this week we discovered that those hot summer temperatures cause other problems that we hadn’t considered.

A few years ago I bought three Vellux blankets to be used on our beds here in Florida because they were inexpensive, light weight and looked lovely. Recently I’ve realized that those blankets are falling apart. They should have lasted longer!! The velvety stuff is pealing off the foam core. The sluff-off was ending up all over our bedroom floor and every time you pulled the blanket up, more came off. Obviously those blankets that are loosing their skin must go! I’m sure the problem is a result of the heat in our condo over the summer months. (We run a humidistat which makes sure that we don’t have mold conditions, but the temperatures are generally in the mid-80′s from May-October.)

I’ve been looking on-line and had found some that were lightweight fiber fill “down alternative” blankets with bindings all around. Their average price was about $79 so I’d hesitated. Yesterday I bought one at Sam’s Club for about 1/3 that price. Now I wish I’d gotten a couple more. Sam’s is in Riverview so we don’t get there often, but it would be worth another trip back. I’m afraid even if we hurry back, they may not have them because they were a one-time offering. I’ll see if I can talk John into making the trip Thursday.

Speaking of “going back” to places, I left my reading glasses in a restaurant last night. They aren’t worth a special trip back, but we’ll go right past the place when we go to pick strawberries in a few weeks. (I’m anxious for fresh strawberries and hope they’ll be priced as in the past at four quarts for $1.)

Our Florida weather has been annoyingly cool. No pool time. It has been in the 40′s in the mornings and yesterday, even at it’s warmest, it hovered only around 60 degrees. Today it might get up to the mid 70′s, but then until the weekend, it’ll be back into the low 60′s. Thank heavens, it should warm up in about three days and stay that way – hopefully until we leave in May!! I sure hope so!!

John and I celebrated our birthdays over the past few days. John’s was Friday. Saturday we had a joint party and yesterday was mine.

The party was fun and successful with 20 good friends collecting to enjoy an evening of food and dancing. Being together was the fun part!!

We’re both nearly over our bug. Since I got it later than John I was still fighting mine when he was feeling better but I am about back to normal now.

Tonight we’ll have fun at a karaoke evening at the clubhouse. Thursday night we’ll all attend a fun “lip sync” show.

We will be leaving for home in about two months. Need to enjoy every minute of the time we have left here in paradise!!

Wednesday I felt like I was coming down with something and by Thursday I had no voice and knew I was on the edge of not feeling well. Friday I did go to the pool for the day but Saturday I was even worse so I stayed inside and didn’t venture out at all. Today (Sunday), I’m better. My voice is still husky and I had about an hour of coughing this a.m. but I feel that I’m doing better. Got to the pool at about 9:30. Water felt wonderful. Hopefully I can shake it.

I only stayed at the pool until about 1:30. One symptom of this bug is being really edgy. Friday I stayed too long and the chatter from those seated close to me annoyed me like nails on a chalkboard. By the time I left I was ready to scream. Today I left before I reached that point. Our house is comfortable and peaceful.

I must get feeling better!!! March 1st, Friday, is John’s 75th birthday. My 71st birthday is Monday, March 4th. On Saturday, March 2nd, we’re going to have a joint party at Alpha Pizza House in Apollo Beach. We’ll arrive at 4:30. Alpha House will have music in the lounge from 5:00-8:00. We’ve invited a bunch to join us there. Should be a fun time, if we both feel up-to-it.

I’ve been pretty quiet lately. We were kind of “hibernating.” John wasn’t getting over his “bug” so we tried staying inside, especially since it was pretty chilly. But now it’s beautiful again with blue skies, puffy clouds and warm temps.

Yesterday the Michigan Club held a huge pizza party. (I was the chairman for the third year.) We were set up for about 160 but ended up with about 140. Our entertainer was John Cortese, a really fun 88-year-old who does a patter of senior humor. He got a standing ovation (he said it was his first).

The pizza (ordered locally from a mom and pop local pizza shop) arrived on time and HOT!! And the salad Richard made drew rave reviews.

Last year we ran out of beer so we doubled our order this year and also didn’t allow before-the-party drinkers. As it turned out, we had twice as much beer as we needed. Today we discovered that the store has a NO RETURN policy, even though the keg was untapped and always cold. Hopefully we can sell our unopened keg to a club that’s holding a party within the next month. The party store will allow us to keep it refrigerated until it’s needed so it’ll be perfect. If the club won’t buy from us, we’ll have a huge party of our own!!

Unfortunately while I was so busy working yesterday, I wasn’t feeling well. I pushed myself and accomplished what was necessary and it was a successful event, but today I have no voice. I actually don’t feel as bad as I sound. I would have headed to the pool to soak up some rays, but I figured that lazing around here might get me back to normal sooner, so I’m inside and in an hour, I’ll get ready so we can go to the clubhouse to dance with our friends.

John slept most of the day. He’s definitely not well…

We had an invitation to a dinner party starting at 5:00 p.m. at Bob and Judy’s. It was supposed to be the prelude to a Baby Boomers Club Valentines Dance.

John rallied enough to clean up and go to the dinner, but immediately afterward, we came back home and he’s now sleeping. No sense going to the dance alone. It wouldn’t be fun. So we missed the dance, but hopefully he’ll get over this bug and there’ll be many other dances.

In fact, we have one another fancier dance Tuesday so we’ll get to shake our boody then. I just want him to fell better.

John’s has been suffering from a cold (or some bug) for several days. This fall and winter he was doing really good. He usually toughs through anything and keeps on going but this virus(?) has knocked him for a loop. It started a couple weeks ago with a sore throat but until Wednesday he felt had it under control and was improving. He even played pickleball Monday and Tuesday and claimed he was over it, but then he had a relapse and has been suffering for the past couple of days. Thursday we went to the Tampa racetrack, but he should have been home in bed. Yestreday he slept much of the day but I can’t keep him down. He insisted on going to town in the afternoon to “get out” saying he could do what he wanted faster without me, so he wanted to go alone. When he got back, he admitted it had been too much but last night and today he’s been taking it easy. We have nothing on our calendar until tomorrow evening, so I’m hoping he’ll just rest and get over it. He needs to just let me baby him and rest but my guy doesn’t do well in this situation. Glad we have nothing planned today so he can devote his energy to getting better.

It’s February and we have less than 100 days left before we head back to Michigan. We feel like we have to hurry and crowd lots into our precious time.

Last Friday we went to Busch Gardens. It was a little chilly when we started out, but all-in-all not a bad day weatherwise.

The shows we attended were awesome! We saw Chubby Checker at 11:30, the ice show at 1:00, and at 2:00 we took in “Let’s Get Loud.” Chubby and the ice show we’d seen before, but this year they were even better. Chubby got the audience totally involved and it was truly fun.

Saturday night we attended a country dance (hoe-down) with Bill and Donna. Totally enjoyable.

Sunday was “Super Bowl” Sunday. We’d planned to go to an Oldies but Goodies dance but at the last minute we decided to stay home. Good choice!

Monday, 22 of us went to Little Harbor to celebrate our friend Dave’s birthday. We had a chilly dinner at Sunset Grill. We were very cold by the time we headed home but the warmth of the group made it a good time! And the sunset was lovely!!

This week we have a full schedule: Today I’m going to the pool and, since it’s finally warming up, I hope to get there most every day this week to soak up the sun. We’ll go to Karaoke tonight at the clubhouse. Maybe we’ll make it to Busch Gardens either Wednesday or Friday to see Paul Revere and the Raiders, but if we don’t go, we have a dance class Wednesday evening and/or spaghetti evening at the Ruskin Elks. We have tickets for a day at Tampa Bay Downs racetrack on Thursday. Sunday our plans include a dinner party at the home of friends followed by a dance. It should all be fun!

I had planned to spend the day at the pool but instead I spent nearly THREE HOURS trying to straighten out our Michigan license tabs (which must be renewed on March 1st). WHAT A MESS!!

We have three cars (two which we’d put in insurance storage mode) and that presented a problem since apparently we can’t re-license a car that’s covered only by storage insurance. Finally, with the help of our long-time insurance agency and restoring insurance, I was able to get everything straightened out. But what a mess!

We’re very honest folks who wouldn’t dream of driving an uninsured vehicle, but no one is driving our car that’s sitting in our garage in Saginaw nor our truck that’s covered with a fitted fabric cover in the RV storage area here in Kings Point. When I started this licensing/taging chore, only our Florida car was insured because it’s the only one we drive: a 2005 black Jag. We had planned to activate our GMC truck’s insurance when we’re ready to drive it back to Michigan.

I have found that folks who divide their time have challenges. Six months in another state, and you’re no longer eligible to be a Michigan resident so technically you need to re-register your cars in the other state and change your drivers license. We are very close to the line but it shouldn’t be that cut and dried. I feel where we consider “home” should definitely tilt the six-month rule. We should be able to choose where we want to call home. John is a Michigan resident with a Michigan drivers license (while I’m a Florida resident with a Florida license).

There are lots of us snowbirds and we’re being asked to walk a tight wire between states to stay legal residents.

Hey, this is the U.S.A. aren’t we’re united?? Aren’t we’re one country?? Having to struggle to maintain residency requirements in the state we want to call home is dumb!!!!

And this car tagging deal is annoying. We have worked it out, but it’s not easy.

At least the check to Michigan Secretary of State office is in the mail with all the proper proofs so we should with be ok our license plate tabs this year.

We have actually been “activity weary.” We had so many things to do that we were worn out. There was a lull immediately after the holidays and then a flurry of non-stop activities began. We had a Baby Boomers meeting followed by a wine and cheese party on January 13th. On the 15th, a Sock Hop at the Clubhouse. The 17th, an anniversary dinner at a restaurant with friends. The 18th, a dance/performance at the Community Hall in Sun City Center featuring the Hub Caps. Saturday, the 19th, we attended the lovely Michigan Club Sno-Ball dinner dance (the nicest evening of the year). Sunday, the 20th, there was a Chile Cookoff (contest) at noon, and in the evening an Oldies But Goodies dance. Tuesday, the 22nd, we went to a fun Karaoke evening at the clubhouse, and on Wednesday the 24th, Rockin Rondezvous at the clubhouse where we met-up with a crowd of friends. The 25th (last night) we had a dance class/practice from 5:00-8:00. We wore out about 7:30.

John’s had a cold so his energy level is down. He hasn’t played pickleball for over a week. It’s also been quite cool in the mornings, so staying in made sense. It’s now warming up, so I’ve been at the pool the past couple of days.

While all of the activities were going on, we continued with our condo improvements.

Here are two photos of the external changes we’ve made:

The view on the left was taken when we bought the condo in October 2008. It had been on the market for several years and was very unattractive. On the right you see the improvements we made: new small door, new light fixture, new sliding doors (x3), new window on the end (above the round table), removal of the ugly awning, and newly poured patio area with a connecting door from the existing lanai. Only thing left to be done is the installation of the eves troughs over the sliding doors. (And yes, our association also repainted and re-roofed our building.) No longer an eye-sore.

We’re finding the patio area is really a nice place to sit in the sun.

I’ve given up the “eight-hour” diet. It didn’t work for me. I didn’t lose an ounce (maybe gained about a pound) even though I stuck with to it religiously until yesterday (about two weeks total.) But I’m not “giving up” the idea of losing weight. Instead I’ll try a different approach.

The eight-hour diet was entirely too easy. I lived my life as I desired. My only restrictions were time related. I did eight hours healthy eating, and 16 hours without any food. But that’s me anyway. I don’t like breakfast so starting at 10 a.m. or even 12 noon wasn’t at all unusual. And we rarely stay up late so ending our food consumption eight hours later than the start, was a snap. It really wasn’t a break in my regular consumption or attitude. I just ate and figured that by watching the clock, I’d lose. I didn’t.

I am certain if I went back on the Weight Watchers “old” Point Program, it would work for me. But admittedly it was WORK when I did Weight Watchers Points before (about 12 years ago). I made it the target of several months of my life. (I thought about little else.) After three months of religiously following the journal practices and limiting myself to minimal “points”, I was more than 20 pounds lighter and could again wear a size 6. But now I enjoy my life so much more completely that it’s hard to think of changing the focus. Guess I need to start “journal-ing again” (which means writing down every bite and sip which passes my lips.) This time I won’t aim for size 6. Maybe a comfortable 8 would be acceptable. No more going “over-board.” I don’t want to become as obsessive as I was before. Will it work with a more relaxed attitude? Who knows?

I just didn’t like the way I felt about my life’s focus when weight-loss was my primary concern. It was like watching what I ate was more important than anything else. I didn’t relax and enjoy my surroundings. But to make my life perfect now, I guess I must seriously confess that I must lose 15-20 pounds and work toward a 20 pound lighter target weight. I need to exercise and move more. I don’t want to be skinny, but I would like to like my reduced shape.

My previous weight loss stuck with me for over 15 years. If I lose this time, it’ll be the last time I need to do it because I’d then be 85! At 85, I promise won’t worry about being tubby!!!

(But I think I’ll wait to start my new effort until after the weekend. We have just too many parties, dinners and dances this weekend.)

I weigh myself morning and night. This morning I was 1/2 pound lighter. Not much but maybe it’s the start of a trend.

I’ve GAINED a pound (or maybe more) over the past four days. Looks like this diet plan isn’t for me. I’ll give it another day or two, but I sure don’t recommend it at this point.

I’m into the third day of my 8-hour diet and so far NOTHING!! It isn’t hard for me to stick to the schedule, but I’m still waiting for the desired results. I haven’t cheated at all and somehow I feel I’ve eaten healthier, but no weight loss yet.

Yesterday the Today show mentioned a new diet plan.

It is claimed that people can lose weight by eating anything they want, but only during a set eight-hour period. This is usually called the 8-Hour Diet. The authors of the plan feel that staying up late, and eating around the clock in our 24-hour culture is responsible for the country’s high rates of diabetes and obesity. According to an excerpt from the book, ‘Our bodies can’t process the food we eat [after hours], and those calories end up where they shouldn’t – around our bellies and butts.’

It’s suggested that you eat whatever you want during eight hours but fast for 16 hours. You can choose when you want the eating period to start. Fasting for 16 hours will shrink your stomach allowing you to feel full faster.

Obviously if you eat healthy, you’ll do better. They even have a “power foods” list which they suggest incorporating.

Exercise is encouraged (especially for a minimum of eight minutes at the end of the fasting period).

I’m going to try it. I’ll personalize the plan to fit our life style. Each day I’ll try to look ahead and will set my eight hour period to match our planned activities.

If something unforeseen causes me to eat later than anticipated, the next day I’ll start the plan later.

Example: Last night we had dinner later than usual because we went to line dance lesson. It was about 7:15 when we ate dinner. Since I’d had toast at 10:30 a.m. our evening meal was ready beyond my eight hour period which should have ended at 6:30. So I’ll hold off my first food today until after 11:30 and stop eating at 7:30.

Tomorrow we have plans to go to a birthday party which will include dinner and it starts at 5:30. I think I’ll have the eating period start at noon and end at 8:00.

Thank heavens I can drink non-caloric beverages (including coffee) during the fasting period. Lots of water is encouraged.

I’ll keep you posted on how it works.

1. I vow to LOSE weight which means I will be healthier with more energy. I won’t state a number of pounds, although I have an in-mind goal. If I write down what I eat, it’ll happen.

2. I really must to do more eye exercises so I can see better close-up.

3. I want to walk more and go to more exercise classes. Dance classes count.

4. I vow to always keep our lovely condo in show-off shape and make sure our friends feel welcome to stop in any time. (And when in Michigan, I’ll try to do the same. In fact, in Michigan I promise to purge!!)

5. I will enjoy our wonderful life more. I will go to pool every chance I can and savor every minute.

These resolutions will be tough to stick to but I’m determined.

I’ve added all of the photos I took with my Panasonic camera to Picasa (an on-line photo service). That means they’re safe so I never have to worry about losing them and also they’re available for friends to view. There’s a link at the top of the rightmost menu or you can click here: 2012-13 Florida Photos. I’ll be adding more until we leave for Michigan in May.

Our doors were installed a week or so ago and it really made a difference. Top one shows the before (with older chairs too), below the new doors (and our Christmas tree).

We had a very nice Christmas!

Celebrating started Christmas Eve with a houseful of our close friends. (Some folks were out of town with their families, but we had about 20 who stopped in.)

We’d spent several days preparing. The lasagna was just as we’d hoped, and we had prepared lots of other stuff (rum cake, chicken wings, homemade candy, carmel popcorn and more). Our friends also contributed: meatballs, brisetta, strawberries, breads, chocolate cake, brownies, and other stuff. We were all pleasantly full. Everything was great!

After we ate, Ron entertained us with vocals (and John even helped him on one). Stephen offered us some humor and explanations of the Jewish religion. We had a group Christmas sing-along. And after doing some Christmas a non-Christmas tune (Sweet Caroline), someone mentioned line dancing, and the Country music started. The living room was ample for the whole crowd to dance (and we could have held twice as many, if we’d rolled up the area rugs).

The bar stayed open, and the crowd didn’t leave until nearly 10:00 (which is unheard of here).

Christmas was quiet but pleasant. (Beautiful weather).

At 4:00 we went wirh four other couples to our favorite spot on Tampa Bay, Sunset Grille at Little Harbor. We enjoyed a fabulous buffet with anything you might want. After enjoying a wonderful dessert table, we all headed over to Sherry and Bob’s.

Some of us played a card game while others chatted and watched TV. We ended up the evening with three kinds of pie! (And I’d lost 30 cents!!)

While at Little Harbor, we all were mesmerized by the wonderful sunsets.

I took a gazillion photos.

We’ve been enjoying lots of holiday parties. Saturday night was the Baby Boomers dinner and dance. Great times! Tonight the Michigan Club Christmas dinner.

It’s all been fun but we’ve also been distracted by the renovation of our condo.

The contractor started to install the new doors the middle of last week, but the first day was cut short because an electrician had to be called in to move an electrical box under the window and he couldn’t do it until the drywall was removed.

Finally Friday the doors were put in and they were better than expected. But during the cut-down of the block wall below the windows, an unbelievable amount of dust was generated and coated everything. Saturday the stucco guy showed up and did the outside work. Monday the trim on the doors was completed and the side window installed. The concrete guy has set the molds for the pouring of the patio which will happen on Thursday. Late afternoon (Monday) we started deep cleaning up to see if we could get rid of the dust and dirt. We’ve worked in small, manageable areas to get it all purged of the heavy dust layer.

Things were really looking great until this afternoon when our vacuum plugged up and then broke so the cleaning ground to a halt.

We are trying to get ready for our house full of friends on Christmas Eve but in order to get the place in order, we need to first vacuum and then scrub. (We’re using a carpet cleaner to do the heaviest of the scrubbing.) But with a broken vacuum it’s not possible. Hopefully John can get the vacuum going again tomorrow.

We have several appointments tomorrow and Thursday. But Friday-Sunday we should be able to work non-stop getting the house in order.

It’ll all come together. I’m confident.

Before and after photos will follow.

It’s encouraging because even the golfers have been stopping to tell us how great the new windows look and they’re only seeing them from the outside. We’re both really pleased!!

Obviously I didn’t win the power ball lottery.

But let’s see.. what’s been happening in the Skaryd household?

We saw the movie Kings Speech, attended a fun Kings Point 40th anniversary concert, took some dance lessons/classes, enjoyed karaoke on Tuesday. John had a chorus concert Wednesday (good job) followed by an afterglow party, Thursday a bunch of us had a lunchtime surprise birthday party for a friend (Marlene) and Rockin Rondezvous in the evening.

This morning I didn’t feel well (a cold and tooth ache). At 2:00 I had a dental appointment for 2 1/2 hours! I’m exhausted. The dentist (new to me) didn’t have to do the root canal which I’d expected but instead he removed a poor fitting crown (put on by my up-north dentist) and took care of a major problem which had developed under the crown. Then he had to rebuild the area and do a new crown. All in all it cost $1,360! (Some should be covered by insurance.) It was so nice to enjoy dinner without the tooth pain I’ve endured since late October.

I’m relieved to have it done.

This weekend we don’t have a lot on Saturday — just the golf cart parade followed by a winter festival in Sun City Center.

Sunday will be busier. The Sun City Center Methodist Church will feature it’s annual Christmas Contata at 10:55. We’ll go to one of the services. Then at noon we’re invited to a Christmas brunch. The host and hostess are at the opposite end of our condo (roof-mates). All of the neighbors are invited. I’m sure we’ll enjoy a lovely time.

Our Oldies but Goodies dance will be held Sunday evening with our friends. I’m looking forward to it.

I felt really rotten last night and credited a cold, but right now I am much better. It may just be allergies.

Life is good!!

Today I wasted $4 buying two Power Ball Lottery tickets for tonight’s drawing. The jackpot is over $550,000,000 for the winner(s). Of course the odds are astronomical, but it got me thinking.

What would I do with multi-millions?

I love our homes, so I really have no desire to move, but John said, he’d want to buy a bigger condo here. (Up north, I doubt if we’d move, but we’d certainly renovate our kitchen.)

I’d hire a full-time cleaning lady (both here and in Michigan) who would get things organized. And of course new furniture selected by a decorator would enhance our places.

Cars? I guess in Michigan, I’d want to get rid of our Malibu, but I do like our Jaguar here.

Toys? Maybe a tablet computer, but not jewelry, nor clothes (well maybe a few fashionable items).

I’d donate a sizable amount to our church here in Sun City Center, and to worthwhile causes like the local hospice and the Emergency Medical squad.

I would take care of my daughter, Kelly, (who has vowed that she’d be there to take care of me, if it is ever necessary.)

We don’t want to travel (although I’d probably fly out to visit Kelly in California) a couple times a year.

But day-to-day, I can’t imagine changing our lives. I love our community. I totally enjoy our friends. I wouldn’t want to ditch our life for something else. The way we live is perfect for us!

Now if money could guarantee good health. Unfortunately we’re not young and our we’ll be lucky to live another 25 years. Not long enough!!

But it’s fun to dream about what changes $550,000,000 would bring to our lives.

Kelly Left Saturday.

Life should settle down, but now that Thanksgiving’s over, we’ve REALLY been busy.

Sunday night was the Oldies but Goodies annual meeting and dance. Monday karaoke at the clubhouse followed by a dinner at the home of Renay and Tom and today (Tuesday), there was a pool party with a great band.

Tomorrow is Wednesday. Our plan is to go shopping in the a.m. and attend a dance lesson in the afternoon/early evening. Thursday it’s Rockin Rendezvous at 5:00 and a free movie (“Kings Speech”) at 7:30. Friday we can attend a dance lesson. Since we have nothing going over the weekend, I plan to get busy and decorate our place for the holidays.

I love our time here! I don’t think I’d want to stay year-round, but I don’t think I’ll be ready to go home in May. We’ll see.

I’m going to miss Kelly when she leaves. We’ll drop her off at Tampa International at about 4:00 this afternoon.

It’s been so much fun to have her here.

We shopped yesterday (black Friday) but not the traditional big box stores. Instead we went to re-sale and consignment shops. Her taste and mine are very similar. We laughed when I got “caught” in a top that had two fastened-together pieces which had to be put on with all the sleeves/arm openings lining up. Needless to say things didn’t work and I was tangled in a unmanageable mess. (That was one item which stayed at the store. I couldn’t imagine going through that each time I wanted to wear it.) But we got some cute things and didn’t spend much. Most importantly, it was fun and a memory I’ll have even after she’s left!

Today we have carefully planned out the time needed to get her to her flight.

I’m really been enjoying my time with my daughter, Kelly. She’s totally easy going and fun. We have enjoyed a nice dinner Sunday evening, going to a line-dance lesson Monday, some lazy pool time Tuesday, shopping at the Red Barn Flea Market Wednesday, watching the sunset and dining last night at Little Harbor, and today we’re having a great Thanksgiving. Our dinner will be fantastic. A 12-pound turkey is in the oven and it’ll be ready about 5:00. In addition to the turkey and dressing, we’ll have mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, cranberry sauce, relishes, rolls, pie, wine. If the smells indicate anything, we’re in for a wonderful meal.

This morning we served dinners to the community at our church. Kelly pitched in and helped too.

This evening we’ll wind up at Richard and Shelly Brooks. They had invited us to dinner, but since we’re cooking here, we’ll join them for some socializing.

We have a lot to be thankful for.

My daughter Kelly’s visiting us from Monterey, California!! She arrived yesterday afternoon, the airport pick-up took more time than we’d planned because of a delay in the luggage area. (For some reason it took almost an hour for the baggage to be delivered to the waiting debarked passengers).

Therefore we were late arriving for a Sunshine Kids dinner at the North Clubhouse, but the meal was lovely and it gave us a chance to unwind. I got to introduce Kelly to our friends.

After getting back to the condo, we had a relaxing girl-time evening. John was watching a football game so we sat on the bed in the master bedroom and talked and talked. It was very nice to feel relaxed and have time to share thoughts. At about midnight John went to bed, and we moved to the living room where we watched HGTV for another hour. It was fun seeing how our selections were similar and our attitudes the same. At 1:00, we headed to bed.

Today we will go to the line dance class and a little shopping. Don’t know if we’ll have time to get to the pool.

Kel’s still on West Coast time, so she’s sleeping in, but that’s fine. I’m sure she’ll keep me up tonight late.

Last night we gathered at the clubhouse for an evening of fun, music, dancing and friendship. What a wonderful bunch of folks!!

We ate and chatted and enjoyed dancing of every genre.

When he arrived, our friend, Richard, was enveloped with affection and support. (He’s recovering from a colonoscopy.)

Many of our group were there. We had a great time!

At one point, Caroline was nudged into the center of a circle while we all sang “Sweet Caroline” to her and shouted “Good times never seemed so good!” It’s a general heartfelt feeling.

We are definitely living the good life.

Our tiny bird (about 4″ tall) has continued to hang out at our living room window. She doesn’t bump into the glass. She just flies up and perches on the cross pieces and sills. This has now been going on for five days. Really unusual.

She’s become a fixture. I want her to continue visiting us.

After exploring various bird websites, I think I’ve identified her as a female prairie warbler.

We’ve attended dance classes, a karaoke evening, garage sale, presentation of all the clubs here, Rockin’ Rondezvous, and a fantastic Halloween party at the home of the Coopers. We’ve enjoyed lots of fun stuff here in Kings Point, Sun City Center.

The weather cooled down so we haven’t been at the pool much, but life’s grand and we’ve had a fun time.

But for the past couple of days we have had a tiny guest knocking at our window.

A little bird, part gray and part yellow came to our great room window early yesterday (Thursday). He flew at the window, but landed on the sill instead. It wasn’t like he’d hit it and was injured. He just flew up and then settled back onto the sill. He’s flown away many times, but always returns. So today was the second day, and he was there all day. I have a feeling he’ll be back tomorrow. We don’t know what’s wrong with him. He doesn’t appear hurt, but doesn’t leave. He keeps watching us through the window. And it’s not just one window, he’s moved from the living room to the bedroom, to the side living room window, the glass door, and back to the great room window.

What a cutie. A friend said maybe he’s a pet, but we tried to approach him and he doesn’t appear to like people.

===

Saturday – He’s back! It’s day three of enjoying our little guy who is still watching us most of the time. (BTW the photo doesn’t really show that he’s yellow with dark patches. It’s obvious that he’s very young and his color is just beginning to show. In fact, around his beak, you can see fine down feathers.)

Last night (Tuesday) we went to a pool party at the South Club pool. Lotsa fun.

This afternoon (4:00-6:00) there’ll be a Michigan Club Wine and Cheese Party.

Tomorrow we’ll hope that Bill and Donna Markland will hold an “early hour” Rockin’ Rondezvous evening.

Friday we’ll take some couples country lessons.

We’re with our friends at all of these events. Soooo much fun.

Nothing planned for today. John’ll probably play pickleball.

Tomorrow we hope to sign the contractor with the “window guy” we’ve selected to do our renovation project. We’ve talked with multiple contractors and have revised our thinking about what will work best. We’ve settled on a project which will take out the 12 small crank open windows and put in three eight foot tall sliding doors. The 8 small windows on the side would also be taken out and replaced with sliding windows. Then on the outside, there’d be a five-foot wide cement slab added which would run from between the bedroom window and the new doors, around the corner and abutt the current screened in lanai. There will be a door added at the end of the current screened area. The roof of the current lanai will be extended about eight feet to be flush with the corner of the condo. (The new roof will replace a current ugly awning which helps protect the side window from golf balls.) We’ve made quite a few changes to our place since buying it. Here’s the floor plan showing the current and proposed changes:

Tonight we watched the Tigers take the American League Championship. Wow!

We were in the South Club for Rockin’ Rondezvous. Being with friends is always fun, but tonight was more so. We watched the game while dancing. Loved it!

When the tigers scored their second run, the whole place erupted in a big roar.

It was a fun night.

This whole week has been good. Today I was at the pool most of the day and the weather was flawless. Temps about 83 degrees, breeze light, skies blue, humidity was fairly low. Couldn’t be better.

It was a very good day!!

We had a good week. Can’t complain about the weather. Hot and humid early in the week, but that’s changed. Actually yesterday was windy at the pool, which made it chilly when you exited, so we didn’t go in.

Friends have been arriving and more will be pulling in next week.

Tomorrow John has plans to go to a model airplane fly-in and we’ll attend an Oldies but Goodies “dance” Sunday night.

Next week will be busy!

Monday I have a dental appointment (10:45), John has his chorus (1:45-3:30), I have a line-dance class (3:00-4:00) and we have a potluck (4:30).

Tuesday afternoon I have an appointment with my eye surgeon and in the evening we want to go to an Octoberfest party at the clubhouse.

Wednesday our association has a meeting and in the evening there’s a line dance which we have never attended, but it might be fun.

Thursday we’ll have another Rockin’ Rendezvous which is our weekly clubhouse gathering. (This week’s RR was a disappointment.)

It’s so much fun here! True we’ve been doing a bit of “work” too. The condo was rather dirty and slightly overgrown when we arrived so is taking a bit to get it spiffied up. And John has been doing some chores but he gets in a little pickleball every day, and I spend lots of time at the pool.

Life is soooo good.

We’ve been here since Thursday evening. Friday through Sunday we were busy settling in. I got in a little time at the pool, and John played pickleball nearly every day. I cleaned a little and unpacked, but it was enjoyable work.

Monday we met with a contractor to discuss the renovation we’re contemplating to our great room.

After we’d met with him, we took off for the North Club where we applied for new Kings Port badges. John then went to chorus and I shopped a bit then took in the beginners line dance class. It was FUN! I found that the steps came back and before long I felt comfortable, although I need to build my stamina. I truly enjoy the exercise line dancing provides.

Tuesday another contractor came by to give us an estimate. At about 4:30 we were at the South Club for our Taco Tuesday lunch/dinner. At 5:00 karaoke started and by then the crowd had arrived. We enjoyed the evening. The singers weren’t awesome, but it was really FUN! One guy in particular had the crowd dancing with him and we totally loved it!

Of course John and I danced a few dances. While dancing, I asked him if he was having a good time. I didn’t have to wait for his positive answer. It’s obvious that we’re both enjoying ourselves!

I feel the years falling away. And with the exercise I’m getting hopefully I’ll get in better shape. I didn’t lose as much weight over our last month in Michigan as I’d promised myself (only about five pounds). I still need to lose about 10-12 pounds! We eat more big meals here, but I also move lots more. And I’ve vowed to enjoy fewer glasses of wine. I’m even thinking about going to an exercise class with Inga!

Today is Wednesday. John spent the morning playing pickleball and I went to the pool. We enjoyed a nice chat with our friends Shelly and Richard who’d just gotten back from Michigan last night. At a little after 1:00, we headed back to meet with yet another the contractor.

We’re waiting to hear their prices before we decide who to use. We’re leaning toward a three phase project: 1) The window in the living room would be taken out and a three-panel sliding glass door would replace it. The current small door would be covered over. 2) The lanai roof would be extended about 8′ further and that would become a covered patio area which would give us a place for our grill. 3) The side window would be replaced with sliders. We’ve asked for the prices on all three projects but it may mean two different contractors. We’ll see. Here’s what it looks like now.

We pulled into our place in Kings Point about 8:00 last night (Thursday October 4th) so we’ve been “home” for 24 hours. The last hour of travel last night took us through thunderstorms that were blinding and heavy rain made it incredibly hard to see the road. We had trouble from Dade City to our Sun City exit. Thank heavens there was a confident big van running ahead of us and he had his hazard lights on. We got behind him and made it through downpours that came down so hard that it was unbelievable.

On our way into Kings Point we grabbed a Hungry Howie’s Pizza and enjoyed it and a beer in our condo. That’s pure pleasure when you’ve driven 1,300 miles to get to your destination.

Today we were both pooped. No pool today. Lots of unpacking. We definitely have more to do, but we’re feeling sorta settled-in.

The place was in good shape. Everything working. No problems. Few bugs, but that’s to be expected and the bug guy will do his thing Tuesday (earliest we could get him).

Tonight we made it to the Baby Boomers wine and cheese party. It was mainly a business meeting, but we’re glad we went. Got to visit with Robbin, a good friend, and made two new ones (Don and Elsie).

We still have more “putting away” to do, but tomorrow I plan on lots of pool time. I’ve waited for six months to go to the South Club Pool, and I’m going to be there even if everything isn’t done. We want to do some shopping, but do we shop first or pool first? I think I’ll head to the pool early and then about 11:00 go shopping.

Hope it cools down a tad. It’s been sweltering with 90+ degree temps and equal humidity. But we know we will enjoy the weather here more than in Michigan.

Spent a good deal of time today looking out the window and I’m in awe of the view even in the middle of the day. But in the evening, the sunsets are amazing. Unfortunately evenings for the next few days promise to be over-cast or raining. So I have to be content with just a pretty blue sky, and the ponds.

We’re on the road south. Left Michigan yesterday a.m. and made good progress. We changed plans in route and ended up staying in Knoxville, TN, at a Quality Inn.

We did have one out-standing thing that happened was when we first got into Ohio. We stopped at a rest area and ran into good friends, Sharon and Sonny Hall. I’d missed visiting with them this summer when we were at Evart because they left early because of the high heat. It was fun chatting with friends so unexpectedly, even if it was a brief visit.

This morning we got a message from our good friends Richard and Shelly. Unfortunately Richard just discovered he needs major surgery, so he’s going to have it in Florida. That means they’ll be arriving Monday, which is earlier than they’d planned. Wish the reason was something more pleasant.

It looks like we’ll be arriving at our condo before dark tonight which will make it good for unloading what needs to be unloaded.

The traffic has been fairly heavy all the way.

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We’re in southern Georgia. We should cross into Florida about

Tomorrow we’ll be pulling out as soon as we possibly can. I’d like to be up about 6:00 a.m. and on the road by 7:30, but I’ll be happy if we get away by 8:30.

Our house will be safe without us. (A security system adds to our feeling that no would be able to break into our place without getting caught.) Besides we’re taking everything of value with us. There’d be slim pickin’s if anyone thought they could get much out of this place.

We ended up crowding stuff in so tightly that we had room left over.

After tonight, the category of my posts to Sharon’s Blog will be grouped under “2012 to 2013 – Fall and Winter in Fun Florida.”

Hope you’ll follow our escapades in our lovely southern community.

Will everything fit as we prepare to head south Wednesday? We’re still cramming. The back seat of the truck is a real challenge. We’ll somehow need to fit in two gym bags (for our overnight stay while in route), a hammered dulcimer, saxophone, banjo, autoharp, huge marimbula, Charlie our bird in his crate, camera bag, computer bags x 2, snack food, file box, etc.

The bed of the truck is nearly full. John has yet to pack his clothing bin, wine/juice in covered pails, some food, and some small items which hopefully will fit in. His bike will go on the “back porch” (which is a deck that goes into the trailer hitch).

Will everything fit?

Stay tuned.

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It will work!! Still a few things to slip in the cracks, but we’ll be able to fit everything in. I’m still cleaning house and wrapping up all the chores here. We leave tomorrow!!!!

We’re packing in earnest this weekend. That way, when everything’s stowed in our truck, I can easily go through and polish and dust so we’ll leave our house clean. True, it’ll get dusty the winter, but hopefully it’ll feel cleaner when we return than if I didn’t put forth this effort. The windows won’t be done (and they need it), but it would be wasted effort, since the winter grime would cover up any efforts I’d make now.

Today’s Saturday. We’re down to single digits on our countdown to our departure on Wednesday a.m. We could actually take off earlier, but there’s no rush, and this way, we will be totally ready to pull out. John can even spend time making wine and picking fruit to take with us.

The next few days here are supposed to be lovely (high 60′s.) In fact Monday through Wednesday it’ll probably reach the low 70′s, but toward the end of next week, Michigan will be hit with a brutal cold spell that will include frost.

Florida’s weather is predicted to be cooler than it has been with lots of rain. That’s unfortunate, since I am anticipating lots of pool time. Oh, well, we’ll make the best of it and get our flu shots, sign up for our new gate pass, stock our refrigerator, clean the condo, and enjoy some social time.

Tonight here in Saginaw, we’ll go to a dinner at the Moose Club. We attended a similar event last year and it was very nice. We skipped the Original Dulcimer Players Club’s annual meeting today in Evart, MI, but it wasn’t necessary that I attend, and the travel expense and our commitments here were more important.

We are anticipating Florida fun.

I figured it was time for a change. I’ve inserted a new photo in the “header” position (at the top of this page).

The small photo directly above is a reduced-size version of the one I used for several years for Sharon’s Blog. It was taken at one of our favorite outdoor restaurants, Little Harbor Marina on Tampa Bay. The picture was out of date. The pier had been replaced several years ago so it no longer resembles the photo.

The newer picture which is now in the “header” is one that I took out the back of our condo. You can see why I want to enlarge the window so this view is visible to me when I’m seated in our great room. The sunsets from our condo are often fantastic. This one was sensational! It was taken October 16th, 2011. The summer and fall seasons seem to produce more colorful sunsets. (I want to get back before the season changes to the winter sky, which isn’t as dramatic.)

Here’s a (slightly revised) message I sent to a friend who wanted to know about Florida (she’s considering moving south). She only knew we love our Florida life and wanted to be filled in. You might be interested is my explanation to her. She asked about costs, pros and cons, and general information.

Here’s how I explained things to her:

Actually I don’t have a lot of knowledge about Florida in general. We moved to the community where we live because it was where my mom and dad had retired. I had to care for her so we went there. It ended up being an excellent choice for us, but I’m sure other folks would prefer other areas.

We have a place in Kings Point, a gated community, within Sun City Center. It’s about 30 miles east and south from Tampa. Ours is a very social environment. We love the activities which are centered around two large club houses, four outdoor pools, three indoor pools, tennis and pickleball courts, classes of every type, clubs of every ilk. We personally love dancing and belong to a ballroom dance club, a baby boomers club, a country couples club, line dance, and an Oldies but Goodies club. We also belong to the Michigan Club, a writers club, John’s in the chorus and we are part of several other organizations.

We pay a monthly home owners fee (about $400 a month) over and above our household expenses which goes to our owners association. The activities and facilities within Kings Point are supported by the HOA fees. The fee also covers cable TV, our “exterior” insurance, our lawn care, water bill, and maintenance on the exterior of the unit. It’s worth it. We have exercise rooms, safety, educational choices and fun.

With the exception of the Oldies but Goodies club and an occasional dance outside the gate, all the activities we are involved with are in Kings Point.

Why do we like the gated community? We can easily be snowbirds and spend six months in Michigan without worrying about our place in Florida. It is maintained without us being there. The city outside the gate (Sun City Center), is well kept, but the homeowners are responsible for their own lawn care, roofs, painting, etc. Often they pay a lot for services that are done for us.

Our residence is a condo which we purchased in 2008. It’s about 1,500 sq ft with a huge lanai (screened porch). We’re located on a golf course with a view of two lovely ponds. We’re within walking distance to one of the two club clubhouses with a large heated pool.

The landscaping is very nice. It’s a place you can be proud of. Kings Point has about 8,500 residents. Sun City Center has about 10,000.

The primary negative is the heat in summer. The area really clears out during the mid-summer months. It is in the 90′s most days with humidity. (Sorta like a hot, humid Michigan day but all the time.) Our area has successfully gotten rid of mosquitoes but we do have pesky “lovebugs” that don’t buzz or bite but they nearly crowd us out two times a year for a couple weeks each time. Sometimes January and February can get pretty chilly, but most of the time, we are able to enjoy the pool and lots of out-door time.

We have friends who first tried Sarasota but they sold their place there, and now live in our Kings Point community. Why? … They are very conscious of the risk of hurricanes (because they work with emergency radio and with emergency medical services). Sarasota was too vulnerable and at sea level, so they felt it was a risk. Our community is more elevated and 7 miles from Tampa Bay. We are the evacuate “to” area for much of our county. (We are where they’d direct folks if there is an approaching storm.) Our buildings are all cement block so very sturdy and quite storm resistent.

The community is enhanced with many volunteers. There’s a wonderful emergency service which staffs a free ambulance service for both Kings Point and Sun City Center. It’s a model for any community that cherishes it’s residences.

Kings Point also has the unique distinction of being served by a bus route with buses that will take you to doctor appointments, shopping centers, etc. It’s all free to residents.

But by some, KP is thought of as sort of unfriendly because you can’t just drive in. You must have approval of a resident before you can enter the manned gates.

Expenses?? Housing is CHEAP! You can buy an older unit for about $30,000 but you still have to pay that $400 home owners fee monthly. Of course there are nicer places up to about $200,000. Those same units were priced at $300,000 a few years ago, but we were really hit hard when the housing market tanked. (Values are gradually recovering but there are lots of deals to be had.)

You can also rent in the area. There are two kinds of rentals, annual and seasonal.) Annual is cheaper. Prices run as low as $800 a month if you sign a year lease. Seasonal rentals are generally for three or six months at a time (or occasionally one month). You can rent inexpensive units for about $1,500 a month (with a 3 month lease). Most of the seasonal rentals come furnished, but the yearly rates are proportionally lower and you generally provide your own furnishings. (Be aware that there’s a hefty tax assessed by the state of Florida for units rented for less than six months.)

Our condo is pretty typical. It’s about 15 years old but it’s been VERY well maintained with a new roof installed last year and the exterior totally painted (all of that exterior work was paid by our home owners association).

We have two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a two-car garage, a huge living area 20 x 22, a dining room, kitchen, and my office.

Most everyone has a golf cart and the whole town is covered with golf cart paths. (After dark, you can’t have them on the streets in Sun City Center but it’s acceptable in Kings Point if you are equipped with headlights.)

We drive our big GMC diesel truck down there (to bring all the stuff we need for our stay). But once we’re down there, we put the truck in the RV storage area (which we rent for an extra annual fee) and we use our Florida car which is waiting for us in our garage. The other half of our garage is for our golf cart and a workshop for John. Also my washer and drier are in the garage (which I prefer because it’s always warm down there and the extra heat and mess is kept out of the house).

Food costs are a little higher than in Michigan but we pay less for our heating/air conditioning. (We paid last year to have a humidistat installed and it lowered the summer electric bill by about $40 monthly because the A/C doesn’t run as often but it’s triggered when needed to keep the humidity down.) Insurance is higher but part is covered by our home owners fee.

Yes, having a home in Florida is a luxury for us and we have no plans to sell our Michigan home. But I know that if anything ever happened to John, it’s where I would choose to live. It would be doable for me. I could swing it financially and it’s an easy life-style. If I ever got so I couldn’t drive, there are the buses and that’s a big sell to some folks. (Kings Point is the only city with this service.)

But for us it’s the pools, clubhouses, and the friends we have made. It seems that because everyone is from some place else, they are all open and friendly. I know everyone in my neighborhood down there. We socialize a lot and they are friends. Contrast that with my Michigan neighborhood where I can’t tell you the names of my next door neighbors and wouldn’t recognize them if I saw them elsewhere.

I am reluctant to encourage folks to come to our area. It’s kind of “our secret” but I do love it!!

[Note: The number of days until we leave automatically updates so the "countdown" will continue until our departure.]

The big question: Will everything fit in our truck? Every year we vow the load we’re hauling south will be smaller the next time. Hasn’t happened yet, and in fact it tends to grow, and this year our stuff may not be able to be squeezed in.

I’m so fanatical about “planning” that I’m actually thinking about doing a scale-model of the back of our truck to see how many plastic “bins” and other bulky items we can crowd into the available space. Instead, I’ve “prioritized” my stuff. I have two bins of clothes and a bin of electronic stuff. John has one clothing bin plus a zipper bag for his suits. There are a couple additional boxes and John will put his bike on the back rack. All of hese things MUST go with us.

In the back seat of the truck, we will pack Charlie in his big cage, a box of our important papers and our instruments. Our overnight bag and munchies will also go in.

But if there’s room (doubtful), we’d like to bring along some other items including an inflatable bed, pump, and frame. We also need to fit in some grape juice which we’ll allow to ferment in Florida.

The plan is to start loading up the truck on the 30th, that’s next weekend. We may have to leave some stuff behind and we want to do it right.

Ok, so I’m a bit of a clothes nut. I don’t go shopping in stores very often, but I do love having nice things to wear. (Don’t all women?)

I use eBay and Overstock.com for most of my purchases.

My method: I buy primarily things I know will fit in a style that is similar to what I have. I insist on measurements and compare them to clothes that I know fit me. I also try to always have a little spandex in the fabric contentent.

Others have said, “How can you buy a bathing suit without trying it on?”

I get wonderful deals on new swimsuits on eBay. I buy from only three brands of quality suits. I know how they fit me. I like Miraclesuit, Carole Wior, or Gottex. Generally I pay less that 25% for a suit which is good because I go through suits fast. (The Florida sun, chlorine, and long periods I wear them means that I’m lucky to get two seasons out of a suit even if I switch it with others and only wear it every other week or so.)

I just got a new one which arrived today. It’s marked $168 with tags and the sanitary liner. It’s a Gottex, stylish, fully lined, with removable straps. I paid $25.51 including shipping. That’s $142 off the original price. It fits like a dream and it’s cuter than I thought! Now I’m even more anxious to get to Florida and go to the pool.

When we arrive, I know there’ll be work to be done, but as soon as we can, I want to head to the pool in my new suit.

As I wrote two days ago, the only way I’ll be satisfied is if I can shed a little weight. I’m sure trying. The new suit is inspiration!

When we get to Florida, I want to have a contractor in mind for the renovation to our condo which hopefully we can have complete by the middle of November.

The window in our great room has 12-panes which crank out and allow lots of wind to whistle in around them. (Especially in January, when it’s often chilly.)

We would have the window and an extra amount below the window removed. The replacement window would be a “slider.”

I went to a Florida contractor’s website (Knox) and found the look I’m thinking of. It would certainly be an improvement.

If you look at the doors in the two photos, you can see that our current top of the window is considerably higher than the door. I have a feeling our wall is taller than the one in the contractor’s photo. If the opening is too tall for the window I show, a fixed transom type window like the small photo, could be put above the slider. Either way, it would give us a much better view, and a better “match” to the other condos in our building. (We’re the only one with those ugly windows. All the others have the kind we’re proposing.)

Here’s the composite photo taking a photo from Knox site, and Photoshopping it with the photo of our place now. It gives you a good idea of what it would look like. Much better!!

Although I’m the one pushing this project, John acknowledged that our place looks shabby from behind because of that window. All of the other units in our building have windows similar to what we are proposing. We’d be a better fit.

I want to lose about 15 pounds! A couple of weeks ago vowed to quit procrastinating and make the effort. I’m not happy with my shape. Within those two to three weeks, I’ve lost maybe five pounds, which is a good start, but I can’t seem to make any dent in the next 15. And if I don’t hang in there, I’ll re-gain the five I’ve already lost.

Now that I’ve started on my way to my goal, you’d think I’d be happier, but I see the next five pounds as almost impossible to shed.

My bulges and belly are discouraging.

And John told me the other day that “You’re getting a big butt.” He’s definitely my most effective critic. He doesn’t let me hang on to excuses.

I just bought another cute size 8 bathing suit. It’ll be a snug fit. With that incentive, I want to lose another five pounds before we take off for Florida.

Now if I could only select the pounds I want to lose. I don’t mind a little extra fullness in my face because it keeps me from looking older, but I want to have my old waist back or I want to shed some in that area as well as my “back fat” which creates an unacceptable “fullness”.

I remember when I was a size 2 or 4 with a 22 inch waist!!!! Sadly, that’s just a memory. I now wear a 8 or sometimes 10 and my waist is 28-30. I’m only 5’2″ so I end up looking like a dumpy, fat old lady.

Guess that’s what happens when you’re 70.

So here are my new rules:

Packing is more than just boxing up items. When you’re going to “move” from one home to another for a six month stretch, it requires a lot of forethought. I have been trying to be sure that we aren’t leaving behind anything which will be essential to our comfort.

Tax payments are a huge consideration. I have to make sure that in April, when it’s time to do Income Taxes, we are prepared. Today I went through our box of tax “back-up” information. Most of that stuff didn’t needed to be hauled to Florida, but I wanted to make sure that nothing we will need will be left behind. (I actually heard about a couple that had to make a trip back to Michigan from Florida because they forgot tax information they needed for their April 15th deadline.)

I went through everything.

Our accountant always asks for insurance information on all of our policies. So today I looked for the insurance receipts to be certain that we’d have them with us when required in Florida. I realized it would be a monumental task to go find all the back-up copies of all the payments on our four vehicles’ and two homes, so I called the insurance company and got a list of what we insure through them. We have a Chevy Malibu, GMC truck, and in Florida a Jaguar. Both our fifth wheel and golf cart are also covered. We also have coverage on our home, our condo, and an umbrella policy which extends the liability on everything.

I asked State Farm Insurance if it was possible to find an area on-line where the payment information was clearly spelled out but, after trying to find something that would work, I decided the easiest way is to create my own list of insurance payments. It didn’t take long. With their list of our policies, I was able to fill in the payment amount for each. We’re set!!!

Then I realized I also need license plate costs for our three licensed vehicles. I got the amount we paid on two of the three. (No problem, the third amount will be available by the time we’re asked to renew in March — before tax information is due).

Why worry now? Because if I don’t take the documentation with us, we’ll have problems. We can’t just go back and get what we need.

We have also been advised that when we get to Florida we’ll need to apply for new Kings Point identification cards for us and our vehicles (necessary to enter the complex, use any facilities, or attend any activities). The requirements to submit the applications are involved and specific. I can easily meet my Florida Condo residency requirements because I have a Florida drivers’ license, but John must prove his “part time” residency with back-up documentation. (They suggest cable or electric bills containing the “owner’s name” with address.) Most of our accounts are only in my name (because that’s how it was when we lived in Mom’s condo, and we just transferred the accounts). It’s also more difficult because we have chosen not to receive “paper” billing. It was therefore hard to prove his Florida involvement. I finally located a copy of our Hillsborough tax payment with his name on it and our Florida bank accounts. Hopefully those will be acceptable.

It’s those little preparations that make our time in Florida easier and more relaxed. And I sure wouldn’t want to give John an excuse to head back early.

The grapes are harvested. The leaves are letting go of their branches and drifting to the ground. Mornings are cool with steam over our little lake.

You can tell summer’s waning. Tomorrow and the next day will probably be the last 80 degree days for 2012. We’ll have to enjoy them.

It’s been a long, hot summer. The unusual weather made for very hot May through August. The heavy rains we got at the beginning of August lessened the drought conditions we’d been plagued by until then. Of course months of dry weather and the hot weather in March impacted farm crops. No one has ever heard of 80+ degrees in March, but there were two weeks where the temps ranged from 70-87!!!! Trees leafed out, critters woke up, and spring arrived, two months ahead of schedule. Of course then it turned cold, so fruit crops were affected.

We picked only about half the grapes we’d normally harvest. They’ve been squished but it’ll be months/years before this crop is drinkable wine.

Yup, fall’s in the air.

John said that at this point he’s not anxious to head south but if it turns cool (or better yet COLD), we both know he’ll feel differently.

Come on, cool weather! Three weeks and counting until we leave!

[Note: The number of days until we leave automatically updates so the "countdown" will continue until our departure.]

Today I officially started “packing.” I don’t usually start this early, but as part of my plan for “purging” my closets, I am anxious to get all of the clothes I’m taking to Florida out of the closet. The remaining few items will be “harshly reviewed” and most of them will go to Goodwill. Every item I put in a bin is recorded so I can locate everything. I’ve already donated one gigantic load.

Actually I kinda like the idea of getting stuff together to go. Makes it feel like we’re making progress toward our departure.

This first bin will have stuff that I definitely won’t need until we’re back down South. I’ve already packed bathing suits, hot weather tops, and camisoles.

With the exception of two days this coming week, temperatures here will probably be no higher than the 60′s and 70′s from now until we leave. In fact tonight it’ll only be 48!! Might as well stow all the hot weather apparel.

John and I tend to be pack rats.

Over the 27 years we’ve been married, our hoard of stuff has grown and is now threatening to over-take us.

I have clothes from 15 years ago. My size has changed. I have items that are from size 2 to 10. Many of the things are totally out of style. I need to get rid of 90% them. They fill my bedroom closet and two bedroom dressers. There’s the guest room closet on the second floor and two chest of drawers in that room. Down in the basement, John has provided me with two portable closets, again filled with clothes I’ll never wear.

So today I started “purging.” I’m going to clean out all the unwearable, out-of-date stuff. I will make sure anything I save fits me now. No more saving items hoping I’ll shrink to fit it someday.

Putting it down in writing here will force me to stick to my vow. I promise you, I’ll purge and get rid of some of my unwanted items. A local charity will benefit.

What’s your best feature? is a question many women can answer without hesitation. Maybe their best feature is their eyes, or maybe it’s their mouth, their butt, their legs, their bustline.

At one point, I actually earned a little “showing off” my then slender legs. An advertiser used them (against the interior of a car door to advertise panty hose). (Just my legs.)

But that was years ago. My ankles have gotten stout and I don’t wear very high heels which makes them look matronly.

My waist which was once 21″ is now closer to 30″.

My butt is non-existent.

My belly is impressive, but somehow I doubt anyone thinks of their protruding belly as a good feature.

My arms are better than many of my contemporaries, but I see loose skin which doesn’t wave, but does move unacceptably.

So what’s my best feature?

I would say, my hair.

A special cut or color can help its look, but hair is sort of a reflection of good health and a God-given gift. I’m fortunate that mine behaves.

I don’t wash it every day, nor even every other day. More like twice a week.

I don’t use hair spray, gels, or any other “additives.” I wash it with cheap shampoo and use a cream rinse. That’s it.

I don’t completely dry it with a hair drier. Instead I let it air dry and then use a flat iron to smooth out waves. A large curling iron finishes the smooth look.

It takes me about 30 minutes to go from wet to ready-to-go.

I have it cut and colored every six weeks. I wear hats a lot in the sun to keep it from being burned and dried out by the Florida sun.

I enjoy my hair because for me it’s fun and not work.

I wish I could say my best feature is my figure, but I’d be dreaming. Hair doesn’t change when you gain weight. Thank heavens!!

(PS: I hope I can revisit this post in a couple of months and brag that I have lost weight, because I’m really trying, and some other feature … maybe waist? figure? arms? looks really good. Somehow, at 70, I think I should be content with good hair.)

Am I living the life I dreamed?

Actually, things are much better than my imagination ever conceived.

I walked through the house at dawn the other day. As I looked out on the lake, the tranquil scene was perfect. A fish jumped leaving pretty ripples on the water. A swan was reflected in the water. It was lovely. I was in awe.

And the view from our Florida condo is just as breath-taking. I’ve often been stopped in my tracks by the view from our southern residence of a sunset or the reflections in the ponds behind us.

How could I have guessed that we’d have it so good? When I was a kid, I didn’t know of anyone who had a situation like we have now. During our lifetime the economic situation has improved for the middle class so we share this “dream existence” with most of our friends who are our age. Our generation has it all.

I worry about my daughter’s age-group. They are working hard to financially get ahead, but because of the current economic situation, they don’t make much progress.

And our grand children have it even tougher.

Let’s hope that success will again be possible for those who put forth the effort.

I was walking home from Eastlawn Elementary School in Midland, maybe in the 5th grade, when a man pulled up to the curb beside me and offered me a ride. I knew he was up-to-no-good. Of course I said, “No.” He continued to follow me. I was scared. I told him I’d tell my mother, but he said, he wasn’t worried. My mom was far away and he was right. I was more than a mile from home.

He continued to try to lure me. I kept walking straight ahead. A house at the corner of Eastlawn and Virginia Streets was a welcome sight. I didn’t know who lived there, but I felt that my chances were better there than with the man trying to pick me up. Determinedly I turned toward the man and said, “I’m home now. I’m going to tell my mom you were following me.”

I firmly walked directly into the house of the stranger without hesitating (because I felt if I knocked or even paused, he’d be there, waiting for me to continue walking home). I’ll never forget the look on the face of the lady of the house. She was ironing. Needless to say she was surprised. (I burst into tears.) When I told her what had happened, she was comforting and sympathetic. She suggested that I call my parents. My dad came after me.

I am still proud of how I handled “stranger danger.”

Using Streets and Trips (a computer program), I just tracked the distance I was “followed” on a map. It was about 1/3 of a mile. That’s a long way for a scared young girl to keep her cool. But I did it.

I hope your grandchildren would do the same.

I was the skinny girl with glasses (kinda smart and very geeky).

In today’s climate what I was subjected to would be called bullying.

I was picked on but not picked. I know what it’s like to have other girls selected to be a partner in a dance class, while I stood there waiting.

I was too scrawny and too flat-chested. My glasses were too thick and I was awkward. I was taunted with calls of “boney” because I was under 100 lbs. and “four eyes.” I even had a sing-songy nick-name “Lame-Brain” because I was too smart and my last name was Layman.

Isn’t it funny how life changes.

Although I’m past my prime, I don’t wear glasses, and I’m a size 8 (but I do need to tone up and lose about 15 pounds.)

Back then, my family wasn’t rich or poor, but definitely in the middle of the status chain so no one was impressed by my dad’s job, nor our house. But now I enjoy a level of success (due to hard work) that I never imagined. My husband and I have a lovely home (not palatial but on a pretty lake and very comfortable.) In fact, we have two homes (one in Michigan and one in Florida). We don’t have to worry about anything. Life is good.

But what about those kids who teased me, called me names, chased me? I don’t know and I don’t care. They probably influenced me to be more aggressively successful. I worked harder and was forced to believe in myself more. I overcame lots of hurdles to be debt free and earn what it takes to be comfortable.

No bitterness toward them. I love life. I wonder if those bullies can say the same.

Wayne and Linda are the first of our “snowbird” friends to head back to Florida. They’re leaving next Wednesday (Sept. 5th, I think) and taking their time returning to their place in Florida.

They have been camping and living in their fifth wheel since April. They’re more than ready to get “home” to our Kings Point community.

Our plans are to leave on October 3rd. That’s a month from Monday (five weeks from tomorrow).

Today John picked some of his grapes so he can get them processed for wine and he said the others he grew are ripe and ready for picking.

He’s also working to finish siding the east side of the house. When he completes that side, he’ll have wrapped up that the project for 2012. He still has about a week of work to do but when that’s done, we should be able to leave on schedule.

I’ve been trying to assemble the stuff I want to take to Florida. I’ve been moving items to the “staging area” in the dining room. I won’t officially get started putting things into the bins that I use for packing until two weeks before we leave. That way I won’t have to “unpack” if I need to use something.

I’m jealous of Linda and Wayne. They live in their fifth wheel so they don’t have to “pack anything.” They just hook up and drag it all south.

But honestly I’m glad we have until October to enjoy Michigan’s wonderful fall weather. In a month I will be ready to leave – especially if the weather changes to typical cool, rainy fall temperatures!

Part of the reason I want to get back to the sunny south is because John does much better in Florida than he does here. (We both do.) We feel healthier and more energetic.

So soon we’ll be packing for our southern home, but we have more than a month to enjoy Michigan, Michigan weather, and Michigan fun. It’s the loveliest time of the year here. Hope by early October it’ll turn dern cold so we’ll feel good about leaving.

The geese are already heading south for the winter. Almost time for these “snow birds” to do the same.

I’ve been following the stories about Isaac as he attacks New Orleans as a category 1 hurricane.

Last night, I checked http://accuweather.com and found the strangest weather report for New Orleans. It said “78 degrees and SNOW!”:

It stayed that way for about an hour.

I’ve been in a “shopping mood” lately. I’m thinking ahead to events which we have on our calendar for Florida.

So I went shopping on Overstock.com. Found three super cute dresses which will work great for Baby Boomers, Oldies But Goodies, and other dances. The invoice was a total of $103 for the three with shipping!! Can’t beat that!

I also added to my wardrobe with some eBay purchases. One item was a cute gray loose top which you wear over a camisole because it is worn off shoulder for only $6.50.

I know I don’t dress “appropriately” for a 70-year-old senior citizen, but when I wear things that make me feel good, I don’t feel 70.

I was afraid the black tiered one would be too short, but John likes it. It just comes to my knees – not as short as it appears in the picture. (I’m 5’2″ and the model is probably close to 6′.) It will be perfect for our ballroom dances.

With these for “inspiration” I am hoping to lose about 15 pounds. (I’m back on the old Weight Watchers Point System which I used in 2007 to lose 20 pounds over a three month period. I hope I’ll be as successful this time. (I want to lose the weight, but not so much that I look older.)

It’s a lovely day: 83 degrees with beautiful blue skies.

John and I are on our way back home from our five-day stay in the Upper Peninsula. We have about an hour to go.

Yesterday it rained all day, so we stayed inside, played music and relaxed. (John needed some get-away time because he works way too hard.)

We were up early this morning, packed and winterized the place, and were on the road home a little past 10:00.

It’s amazing that our place never seems to change, despite our neglect of it. We really don’t invest time, energy nor finances in the place, but it holds up amazingly well. It’s just a very humble old (12 x 50 ft.) trailer. It has two small bedrooms, a bath, and a kitchen/dining room/living room combination. We added a 12 x 20 deck a few years ago and a tin roof at the same time so it’s protected from massive snow build-up.

Two nights ago, something tried to scratch it’s way through the wall when we were trying to sleep. We both heard it, but nothing was visible when John went out to confront the critter. He also looked in the morning, but didn’t spot any traces of a “break in.” We’ll know when we come back next year.

When we were up her (in the U.P.) last year, we left a hummingbird feeder hanging under the roof of our deck. Since no one’s been for a year, of course it’s empty.

While I was enjoying the view last night, a tiny, ruby-throated hummingbird came right up to me, and then went to the feeder then back to me. It was like he was saying, “Been waiting for you to get back her and re-fill this thing.”

Guess I better get busy before I have “Angry Birds” after me.

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Got the feeder re-filled and the little hummingbirds are enjoying it.

At one point there were three or four of them flitting around.

We should be pretty good at packing. In July, we packed our truck and trailer to go to our big festival in Evart. The first part of August, we packed truck and trailer to go to Gladwin’s Carriage Days where we camped. Now. at the end of August, we’re headed to our place in the Upper Peninsula for five days. We left home about two hours ago in our truck. (The trailer stayed home.) And in a month, October 3rd, we’ll pack BACK up and head to Florida.

Each adventure is different. For the festivals, we’re responsible for lots of extras. We feel like we’re bringing everything (including the kitchen sink.) Our supplies include: an E-Z-Up canopy, lots of folding chairs, and a multitude of items for the workshops.

But when it comes to “packing” when we’re using the trailer most everything (clothing, food, etc.) just goes in place. The closets are filled, bed made, medicine cabinet filled, kitchen stocked, and the refrigerator holds the stuff from our home refrigerator. Yes, packing takes some time, but with a trailer, we do it gradually over several weeks, and when we take off from Saginaw, the back seat of the truck is usually just loaded with boxes of programs which are distributed at the festival, so when we return home 10 to 12 days later, it’s empty.

Going to the U.P. is much more difficult. We have only the truck (back seat and covered truck bed) to hold stuff. Since we only go once a year and stay for about a week, John doesn’t leave tools up there. Our bedding gets hauled back and forth (including pillows). Canned goods go back and forth. (We’ve tried leaving stuff there, but everything freezes over the winter, and canned goods change consistency after being frozen.) The only stuff which stays in our place from year to year are the furnishings, some cleaning products, some paper products, and cookware. This time we’re even bring a TV set up there. Any paper products or staples (spices, etc) which are left behind get stored in a metal garbage can (only used for that purpose), so the mice can’t get into them.

John brings along a lawn mower and an air compressor (to blow out the water lines for the winter, when we’re ready to head home).

We’ve learned that mice can get in no matter how secure we make the place so we don’t risk leaving anything that would make a nest. Pillows are hauled back and forth, as well as sheets, blankets, towels, etc.

The truck is totally loaded (truck bed and the back seat)!

When we pack for Florida, in about a month, we hope to have a much lighter load than we have today as we head up north. Yes, there are some electronic items which go back and forth to Florida (printer and paper supplies), and some clothes, but except for a cooler, we don’t need to worry about food. Most everything is in place in the condo. We have ample bedding and linens waiting for our return. Favorite clothing items make the trip with us, but we could get by with what’s there. Those items should all fit in the back end of the truck. John’ll bring his bike on a carrier on the back. A full load, yes, but not like this time.

Our instruments (banjo, dulcimer(s), autoharp, sax, and my new marimbula), take up a lot of room in back seat both when heading to Florida and when we head to the U.P. And half of the back seat is reserved for Charlie, our cockatiel and his big cage. But we won’t feel like we used a shoe-horn to get it all in.

By October, when we pack for Florida, we should be pretty good at it.

To make it easier, I will start preparing for our October 3rd departure as soon as we get home next week.

Senior humor is fun. No, John hasn’t ever asked that question, and he sure doesn’t look like that old guy, but as long as we can laugh at our lumpy bodies, we’re doing ok.

Looking ahead to October, when we’ll be in Florida, we already have a bunch of social events planned and a couple doctors’ appointments. Good thing I keep a detailed calendar because we’d never keep it all straight.

Between now and our departure for the sunny South, I have lots to keep me busy here. Most of it is WORK, but we’ll stop and play some.

Wednesday we head to the U.P. for a few days. I’m actually looking forward to it. Last year we had a surprising good time despite a list of crises which should have spoiled the visit. I guess it’s all in the attitude.

I’m in an uncomfortable position in my life: A time of change.

I’ve been Vice President of the Original Dulcimer Players Club since June and Workshop Chairman since 1996. When I took the Vice President job a few months ago, I made it clear that my role was a temporary one as a fill-in. But when nominations to fill the job for a full term were open, I thought seriously about running for the office. I decided against it when I realized that there were two other capable people who wanted the position.

And recently it was suggested to me that, because of my age, I may want to find a replacement in my job as “workshop chairman.” I’ve done it for 17 years! After careful thought, I decided that it might be “time,” so I’ve been asking if there’s anyone willing to step up and take over my chairmanship role.

I guess, in my dream world, folks would say “NO! YOU CAN’T!!!” But it’s dawning on me that someone else can do the job. I’ll be replaced, and the “show will go on.”

But what about me? What will I do, who will I be? I am realizing that much of my identity has been centered on my involvement with the ODPC. I have enjoyed doing my job to the best of my ability.

I am trying to imagine what it will feel like when I am not Workshop Chairman. I have a fall-back role as Webmaster, but even that is a job which could end, based on the feelings and needs of “the Board of the ODPC.” Maybe that too will change over time.

Of course I still do website design, moderating of lists, and I’m involved with the Michigan Club in Florida (could even take a more active role there) and could be more involved in lots of other organizations.

What I really need to do is to become “more involved” in my own home here in Saginaw, so I feel more connected to it.

But maybe I’m getting too old to be worrying about having an important job to do.

Is it really necessary for my “identity?” Maybe I need to relax and accept that I can just enjoy life without “working” so hard to prove my worth.

We have been planning to take a trip to our place in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula next week. We haven’t been up there since last August. We figure we should “check on things.” According to the itinerary we had envisioned, we’d leave home Monday, the day after John’s family reunion, and stay up north for 5-7 days.

Unfortunately it’s cool up there now, and every day it will be even colder with rain predicted about every other day.

Maybe we could cancel our plans to go to the reunion and leave this Friday. If we stay only about five days before the temperatures fall, it might work. But even then, we’d be plagued with rain.

John has really wanted to go, but the cost of driving over 700 miles (round trip) to spend several days fighting bugs while enduring cold, damp weather isn’t really appealing to him. We may stay home. I wouldn’t mind not going at all!!

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Few days later…

The weather forecast has changed. Next week looks lovely – mid 70′s. We will wait until Wednesday, the 22nd, to go up north. We’ll stay until Monday, the 27th. We’ll drive the truck up so we can tote instruments, bedding, pillows, food, lounge chairs, TV set and everything else we need to be comfortable. I’m looking forward to the time in the U.P.

Here’s a wrap-up of our Saginaw Subterranean Hammered Dulcimer Club’s performance/camping weekend at Carriage Days in Gladwin:

When it came to weather, we had it all! The rain and cold made for a miserable Thursday and Friday (about 8″ of rain and highs in the 60′s) but we had a decent Saturday, and Sunday couldn’t have been prettier. The crowd was still scarce, but we had a good play in the reenactor area.

As far as the music and our friends, we enjoyed them completely! Our group of club members was smaller than some years, but we certainly fit together nicely and had a good time! Someone commented that our music was better with a small group because we stayed together.

Unfortunately the Carriage Days organizers haven’t figured out how to arrange the schedule to work for us and we came away with the feeling that they were having a hard time fitting us in. We were made to feel we were “in the way.” Too often we had to compete with over-amplified music and the idea that they had two music groups scheduled at the same time, under the same roof, is unthinkable.

As a camping location, it is perfect. Lovely shady campsites, with hookups. And the organizers seem to be determined to make the event work, but we may have to pass next year. True, they give us “free” camping, but each member spent much, much more than just the cost of camping. The fuel to get there was about three times the cost of the campsite.

So the weekend was a mixture of fun and disappointments and uncertainty about our future involvement with Carriage Days.

This weekend has been disappointing. The weather, until today, was horrid. Cold and rainy. Today improved dramatically. Temps in the 60′s and sunny.

The little festival sprang to life. The parade this morning had been cancelled. Our performance was scheduled from 2:30-5:15 in the big Swine Barn. As it turned out, I’d misunderstood. We started setting up on the stage but were told we were scheduled in the opposite end of the barn, while another act was on the stage. (Can you imagine how that would work with two groups’ sounds mixing under the same roof?) But we worked out a staggered schedule with the other act.

After setting up our sound equipment we played for an hour. The other act took the stage at 3:30 and finished about 4:15. We resumed our playing until about 5:10.

We had only one or two loyal listeners. The lack of audience was discouraging, and for the last 45 minutes, the smoke from a blacksmith demo outside the door overwhelmed us.

This evening we had a pleasant pizza party at the home of our local members (Caroline and Bob Brinkman). The conversation was lively and fun. Nice folks!

Tomorrow we’ll enjoy a group breakfast and at noon a 90-minute performance.

Since 2008, Saginaw Subterranean Strings, the group John and I lead, have been playing for a small festival at the Gladwin (Mi) Fairgrounds. It’s called Carriage Days. We arrived this afternoon. This is the fifth time we’ve been here.

Over the years the festival has been plagued with bad weather. In 2008, we had cool weather: 66 degrees for a daytime high and a low in the low 50s. It also rained several times. Then in 2009, it rained HARD (3+”). In 2010, it rained some but it was the excessive heat and humidity which made it uncomfortable. Last year, some rain, but better than most years. This year it’s supposed to rain all weekend. It’s cool and damp. We’ll hang in there.

It would be a lovely event, if they could get in good with Mother Nature.

We hate geese. They’re messy and pollute our lovely little lake.

Unfortunately their species is “protected” so they’re allowed to “take over” our lawn, our lake, and multiply exponentially, despite the fact that our tiny lake is only 26 acres. Not only that, but in the fall, they invite all “traveling geese” to stop in for a visit (so that, if they like it, they can make plans to return in the spring).

So John has a one-man crusade to chase them away. He watches, and as they approach our lawn, pulls out his pistol shaped bb-gun and takes pot-shots at them. The pellets bounce off their feathers as proof that they are not powerful enough to really hurt them, but it does give us a brief reprieve as they hurry off to a more welcoming neighbor’s lawn.

Since it’s impossible to tell, from a distance, that his gun isn’t a lethal, bullet-shooting handgun, I truly expect the “cops” to raid our house and confiscate his weapon.

Hasn’t happened yet, but I’m sure his over-shot copper-colored bbs are raising the lake level.

Last night John and I went to the Moose Club for dinner and dancing. The entertainment was a country singer. We got to the club about 6:15. Dinner was okay. (Not my favorite.)

But the evening was fun!

The country singer, Walt Evans, and his back-up keyboardist provided nice music. It was a dancing crowd. Three or four line-dance ladies, and probably a half dozen couples at a time shared the small dance floor. We didn’t try any line-dancing, in part because our routine would have been different than what the ladies were doing and the difference would have messed them (and us) up.

We found out just how rusty we were. We had definitely forgotten a lot. It probably wouldn’t take long to get back in the swing of things, but we ran out of steam easily and were challenged to keep together.

That duo plays at the Moose on the first Saturday of each month.

We’ll be out of town next weekend (Gladwin Carriage Days from the 9th to the 12th), and we’ll probably go to our place in the U.P. From about the 21st to the 26th, so this month, even if we could find more opportunities, we really don’t have a lot of available time for dancing.

I noticed the crowd was approximately the same age as the crowd we are with in Florida. Maybe it’s just that people our age like moving our bodies to a nice, slow, country beat.

With folks our age, it’s really good that line dancing is popular. It allows single. dance-loving ladies the opportunity to take to the floor. And dance they did. Hardly missed a tune and were still going strong when we left.

We’ll be back on September 1st.

About six months ago I wrote a blog post entitled, “Feeling Secure,” about how feel most comfortable when I have an ample supply of toilet tissue. I love to be “stocked up” and get rather anxious when I see my supply dwindle.

But I am realizing there are other items I “stash.” This week, with a purchase from http://drugstore.com, I added to some of the items I consider “staples” — items I want to have in reserve. I am now feeling prepared and contented.

Of course buying quantities of items means that there is more to haul back and forth to Florida. When heading back, I’ll pack two unopened boxes of envelopes (two sizes); two reams of paper; extra ink jet cartridges; still sealed liquid makeup; unopened bottles of vitamin D tablets, allergy meds and ibuprofen; a new bottle of perfume, and several new tubes of lipstick (all the same shade). (These items could all be purchased in Florida or Michigan. I just “feel better” when I have my own supply.)

I am now set so I won’t have to order/buy stuff for a while. I love that feeling of having what I need without having to go shopping for it. Nothing I buy will spoil nor go out of style. My practice is to I get several when I find a deal so I’m always prepared. You never know when one of those items will be in short supply and I won’t be able to get what I need.

I have my stash. Life is good!

But come to think of it, we need to buy more toilet paper.

Every year since I was a teenager, I’ve had to fight seasonal and mold allergies. I’ve gone through all kinds of treatment plans including year-round weekly injections which were intended to gradually build up my resistance. And of course, I’ve tried every medication available. My problems have lessened over the years. I thought I was out-growing the problem or maybe my improvement is the result of better the over-the-counter medications. Zyrtec is my drug of choice (and a generic version can be purchased cheaply). I take it year-round because I never get away from mold completely.

Generally the worst time for me starts near the end of August and fades gradually as cold weather arrives (about late September).

This was a strange year with 80 degrees in February, and no real winter. As a result, many weed seeds (and bugs) didn’t totally die off. Trees bloomed early, the whole timetable was messed up.

Yesterday, after I’d opened all the windows to let in the fresh air, I realized the allergy season has arrived. I don’t know if it’s ragweed, or some other trigger, but all that “fresh air” did it! I couldn’t quit sneezing. I doubled up on my Zyrtec, then added another.

Looks like it’s going to be a miserable period and I’ll be stuck inside but there’s lot I need to do inside anyway. Life is still good, as long as I have my Zyrtec.

I have the best husband in the world!! Today he “took out” three, 40-50 foot, dead poplar trees on our east-most property line. He worked alone, and initially that concerned me because I was afraid for his safety. I lost most of last night’s sleep worrying about it. And the first thing I said to him this morning, when he was awake, was a strong “suggestion” (leaning toward “begging,”) that he give up the job. But when begging didn’t work, I made him “promise” to be extra careful and I asked him to describe his plan to me. He said that working alone, he wouldn’t be as tempted to hurry and make a mistake. His plan was to notch each tree and “direct” it’s fall by pulling with a strong rope tied up the trunk with our truck, so he would be well away from the tree-fall.

It worked! The first two went down flawlessly. I breathed a sigh of relief. But the very last tree didn’t go quite as planned. It fell close to (and really shook) our house, but thankfully there was no real damage. Yes, the light-weight branches did brush the roof, but he can straighten the eave trim which is a tad rumpled and everything else is fine.

Yea for my hubby!! (What did I learn?? That a wife can’t control the actions of a determined husband. And that’s probably for the best.)

I just purchased a folding “cane” on ebay.

Sure I can line dance with the best of ‘em, I can walk around Busch Gardens for miles and miles, and I certainly don’t need handicapped parking, but I do have my limitations.

In 1981, I had a brain tumor removed, and as a result, I have absolutely no working inner ear on the right side so I’m really shaky on my feet, especially when going down stairs. I grip hand-rails like my life depends on them (because it does). I’m afraid and tentative, and it’s gotten worse since being diagnosed with osteoporosis last month because I know a fall could be a disaster.

We go to the Busch Gardens shows weekly from January until March to enjoy the all-star line-up of acts. At those events the admission procedure to the Stanleyville Theater is to line up with handicapped being admitted and seated earlier than the general population.

But here’s my problem: I can’t navigate straight down the steps which are directly ahead of the entrance gates the way most people do. I must head to the only handrail which is located on the out-side wall and, holding on tightly, I go down to the bottom in front of the stage area, cross over, and then go back up to the seat I desire. (And while I’m doing this I’m going against an anxious crowd which is trying to shove past me.) It always seemed unfair that I’m competing with able-bodied folks. As a general rule, I line up an hour before the average person, just so I can get to the side rail and find a good seat without falling.

I was told by the gate guards that, even though they could understand that I am definitely limited (more than most), I need some “sign” that I’m handicapped. These guards have suggested that I should get a “cane” or a “walker” which would indicate that I have a problem. So today I bought a folding cane so I can be allowed to go down the stairs ahead of the huge crowd. I don’t really want to have preferential treatment, but I am definitely restricted. No longer will I need to stand in line for an hour to get head-start so I can get a good seat. I can enter with the handicapped folks and find my way to the seat I’d like without being afraid of falling. I’ll still need to go to the far railing and I’ll hold on tightly to the handrail, but I won’t be pushed and shoved in the process.

I hope no one glares at me when I line up with the “handicapped” because it’s taken me over 30 years to admit I need extra consideration.

When we’re in Michigan I have a tendency to feel “old.” I can’t find any energy so I laze around. That depletes energy. It’s a draining cycle. Last year I wrote, that I feel the years slip away, when we get to Florida. We will probably leave for the “sunshine state” on October 6th, or maybe even the 5th, that’s just over two months away.

What to do between now and then??

On August 6th (a week from today), we are planning to join John’s siblings for a dinner in Owosso. August 8th, we’ll camp with Saginaw Subterranean Strings Hammered Dulcimer for in Gladwin, MI, at the annual Carriage Festival. It looks like it’ll be a fun weekend with lots of performances, a lunch performance, and a pizza party on Saturday night.

When we get back to Saginaw, we have a performance for area Red Hat Clubs at a senior residence facility (Wescourt) scheduled for August 16.

John would like to go to the U.P. to look in our place, but I’m not eager. We’re really isolated up there. We haven’t even had any TV the last few times we’ve gone up. And the bugs (ticks and mosquitos especially) are liable to be plentiful because there wasn’t enough cold last winter for a total kill-off. If we go, we might be able to “take in” a potluck on August 26th, that the home owners’ association has planned.

Haithco Concert is scheduled for August 29th.

We don’t have anything else firmly planned for the rest of the summer.

I did read that a close-by night spot is hosting Sunday evening dances. I have no idea what style of dance, and there is an admission charge, but it would be worth trying.

If we do go to the U.P., I’d like to take-in some the lovely Michigan scenery. We have such a pretty state! We haven’t done much sight-seeing the past few years, and it might be fun.

Ok, so I need to explain why I entitled this blog post, “Feeling ‘Old’”: Yesterday someone mentioned to me that I should be looking for a replacement to handle workshops at the Evart Funfest… They said I need to find someone “YOUNGER!” I know it’s true, but I certainly feel that I’m still capable. That being said, I’d hate to leave the club in a lurch, if something happened to me, so it’s a good idea to plan ahead. I just hate to face the truth. I’ve written an article for the next ODPC newsletter suggesting that, if someone is interested, I’d like to help them learn the ropes over the next three years, so they can take over after I’ve completed my 20th year. Maybe I’ll even pull out sooner, if the right person comes along.

My life is full and complete. I don’t need being the “Workshop Chairman” and as John pointed out to me today, at 2 months per year (which is what I have stated it takes to do the workshop schedule). In 17 years, that’s well over two years of my life.

I’ve made a decision NOT to run for the Vice President of the Original Dulcimer Players Club. (I currently hold that position.) I really hoped that as V.P. I could provide a “historic viewpoint” since I’ve been on the ODPC boards going back to 1996, but I HATE POLITICS!

The slate of those running for ODPC offices came out yesterday and there are two others on the ballot for the two vice presidential positions. I like both of the people I’d be running against. They’ll do a good job and it’s best this way. I hope to continue in my roles as Workshop Chairman and Webmaster. (But I am an “appointee” so who knows?)

Hopefully, whoever assumes the leadership roles will continue the traditions of the ODPC. It’s a very special organization.

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It’s now more than a day since I made my decision and I can’t believe how much better I feel having decided NOT to run. (I was really overwhelmed with anxiety.) I know it was the right decision.

I would like to continue to be in charge of workshops and webmaster. I hope the new administration is willing to keep things as they are with my roles in those areas. My plan is to avoid politics and meetings and just “do my job.” I no longer wish to be “involved” in any way with the administration of the ODPC. I hope that those who will assume administrative roles will continue the traditions which are vital to the ODPC Funfest and the organization behind that wonderful event.

I know it’s still months away, but I’m really eager.

Our big summer event is the ODPC Funfest but it’s past. Now there’s really nothing I eagerly “anticipate.”

We have two more summer concerts (one tonight and one on August 29th). We’re planning for an August camping weekend, and a possible trip to the U.P., but that’s about it. It would help if it would cool down and stay cooler. At least then activities like walking would be enjoyable and we’d be more tempted to find a place to dance.

I’ve been looking at the Kings Point activities wistfully.

The festival is over. For the “hot days” we enjoyed a cooling dip in our “pool.” Which was once a 14-foot pool (because it did have 7 pairs of feet in it.) Photo of Skaryd’s Pool

Back in 2005, pool rules were posted by the Dianne Phelps, wife of the past Osceola fair president and manager, and I just found them.

Thought I’d post them here for you to enjoy:

To whom it may concern and to whom it may not concern:

In regard to the poor little piddly pool located just north of the south first panel of an entire fence surrounding the horse corral with the exceptional openings which may or may not exist depending on whether or not the gates are open or closed or up at all:

Dianne
Ms. Management
(Past) President of the Unfair and Bored

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Especially since we are an “aging” group, we felt it necessary to include some additional “rules” in 2012:

Please insert the following in the appropriate place in the above document: “No diving. If full body contact is unavoidable due to the attraction of the cooling properties of the water, no Swimmies (baby diapers for swimming) nor Depends (or other adult incontinent apparel). Swimsuits are optional, but Speedos, thongs, and bikinis, when worn by our age group, are definitely frowned upon.”

We had a great time, but we’re pooped and need several days to rest without any stress or commitments.

The weather was varied: hot, cold, rainy, nice, hot! Today with it hot again, we were exhausted after packing.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the festival for us was enjoying the music played outside our door in the workshop leader rest area.

For me one highlight was the purchase of a marimbula. The picture is from the Cloud Nine music site which shows a marimbula just like mine.

The sound is similar to an upright bass. I got it Thursday night and over the next two days, played a few times with some excellent musicians. Didn’t do as badly as I’d feared. It was fun.

Why a marimbula? you ask.

In Florida, we have created a performing group with the Conklins called “Kings Strings.” The four of us have played several gigs, but we feel our sound isn’t “complete.” Two dulcimers and two autoharps are missing a “cut through” bass beat. We need to add some punch. If I work on it, I hope the marimbula will give us what we’re looking for. Playing with others was fun! There were times when I knew I missed the proper notes, but other tunes came together nicely.

What shocked me most was the positive feedback I received. I actually had folks asking me to keep playing.

I was careful to keep a steady beat, and that’s what was most necessary. I’ll work on the correct notes, but I was pleased with my progress.

We attended the Saturday night stage show. It was great. We got back to our campsite about 10:00 and played and enjoyed the music which was going on outside our door. We went inside by about 1:00 a.m.

This morning came too early. We were tired but dragged ourselves out of bed to start breaking down our “campsite.” It took from 8:00-3:00 for the two of us, plus a bunch of our friends, to get our trailer ready to head home.

We pulled in our driveway about 5:30.

During the first days of the week, before the actual festival began, friends from Florida came by. We enjoyed showing them what our life is like at our festival.

John’s two sisters and their significant others stopped by to visit a few times, but we really didn’t have time to visit while they were there.

So we’d stayed at the fairgrounds living in our trailer for 12 full days.

The past few days here at the dulcimer festival have been HOT! I don’t mean just pleasantly warm, I mean HOT! A couple days ago I watched the temperature reach 101.5 under our awning. We were miserable. Even at night it only dropped into the mid-70′s. Last night we had a pleasant evening with a nice parade, lots of food, and wonderful music.

In the middle of the night a loud thunderstorm moved through the area and the temps had cooled to the mid-60′s when we got up. All day, the rain was off and on, but mostly on. It’s now cold and damp! (63 degrees) It’s rained a couple of inches, and it’s definitely not clearing yet.

So for the nine days we’ve been here, I’ve complained about the heat but my tune has now changed. I’m still complaining, but it’s because I’m freezing. I’m here in our trailer (all the music has stopped while everyone breaks for dinner). We decided to fix a meal in the oven so the place will warm up and eliminate some of the clammy chill. Chicken kiev over rice will be great.

Tomorrow it’s supposed to warm up and, by Saturday and Sunday, it’ll be back close to 90! But tonight we expect temps down into the 50′s.

If you know us, you have already heard about the huge hammered dulcimer festival which we’ve attended since 1991. It’s always held at the Osceola County Fairgrounds in Evart, Michigan.

We are involved with the management of the festival. I’m the Webmaster, Workshop Chairman, and Vice President. John is my right hand man. He sets up the workshop areas, helps me with the workshop area rest area, and also runs the one-on-one classes each day. Of course, there is the running and maintenance of the copy machine and dozens of little chores.

This event will start on July 19th and run until July 22nd, but we arrived on Tuesday, July 10th. Right now the fairgrounds is about 80% full and those sites that are still vacant are reserved, or on the distant edges without any hookups and a bit of a hike to the restrooms.

This year it’s been a bit of a struggle. The state fairgrounds inspector came through and determined that many of the campsites were illegal so they can’t be used. That’s made it tough to fit in people who have always attended. It’s never been a problem before, but this year, finding a place to park your trailer, van or tent will be tough.

Hopefully it’ll work and everyone will be happy, but each day it gets tougher as folks realize that they aren’t able to be where they expected.

It’s been really hot. Today we probably got to about 90 before a storm came through and cooled things down about 10 degrees.

To keep folks comfortable, we filled our small kiddie pool and several of us cooled off by dipping our feet. The picture shows Marj Mountainsong (left) of Eugene, Oregon, Gwyn Besner (right) from Traverse, City, Michigan. The pool was really refreshing. Tomorrow, I think it will be a tad cooler (88), but Monday and Tuesday we expect it to return to the mid 90′s, before it drops back down into the 80′s through the end of the festival.

The pool will be enjoyed and appreciated by lots of us.

What do we do in the time before the festival starts? Well, we talk, play music, and enjoy renewing old friendships and making new ones.

Many folks think of the pre-festival time as the most fun. It’s always so hectic when the actual festival activities begin. Seems like we’re rushing around constantly and never have time to take a breath.

We really haven’t had time to join a jam. Yes, John’s played a few tunes but mainly inside the air conditioned trailer where it was comfortably cool. Maybe tonight we’ll at least take a trip around the campground to enjoy some of the wonderful music which is only played here.

Yesterday I took time to do something I’ve been thinking about for awhile: I created a Facebook page for the residents of Kings Point. Here’s the explanation I spent to friends:

As Kings Point residents who are up north during the summer months, we find it’s hard to out what’s happening in our Florida community. Sure Kings Point administration has a lovely, informative website, as well as “The Pointer,” and “the Wheel” on Community Channels 95 and 96. But, as a resident, there are things I’d like to know and share that aren’t covered by the normal communication methods. In fact sometimes there are things we don’t learn during the winter months, even though we’re in our Kings Point home. Example: If folks find a nice dance spot, or restaurant, it would be good if there’d be a way to share that “social” information. When Debby roared through, was there damage? When the wild boars were roaming last year, what areas sustained damage? Who has sold a condo? What KP activities have been lots of fun? What ones were “disappointments.”

The residents need a way to communicate with other residents. It’s especially important for snowbirds who have to depend on the grapevine route to get information when we’re more than 1200 miles away. So July 6th, I created a Facebook “page” called “Kings Point Sun City Center Residents.” Hopefully this new resource will become a useful way to find out what’s happening.

For those few who don’t belong to Facebook, you’ll need to sign up. (Facebook is a wonderful resource and can be very private if you restrict who sees what you post.)

Once you’re a facebook member, go to http://facebook.com and sign in. Your “status” page will open. You’ll see a blue stripe at the top with the word “facebook” on the left side. In that same blue stripe area, there’s a “search” box labeled, “search for people, places and things.” In that search area, type in “Kings Point Sun City Center Residents” (minus the quotes) and you’ll be be able to go to Kings Points’ new residents page.

Or you can just go to http://facebook.com/kingspointsuncitycenterresidents

On that page, if you click the thumbs up “like” icon, you’ll be “subscribed” to the page. That means the comments members post will show up on your personal Facebook status page so it’ll be easy to follow what folks are saying. Or if you don’t want to “like us” you can just stop in to check on what’s happening.

Please give it a try. And please spread the word to other Kings Point residents (fulltime or snowbirds) who would be interested. If you want to quote this message, that’s fine with me.

It’s brand new (just started yesterday), so there aren’t many members yet, but the only way it’ll grow is if we all work to spread the word.

And when you have fun (either at your Florida or your northern home) let us know. Tell us about the stuff we’re missing. It’s what friends and neighbors do.

Friday we took off for White Lake, MI, to spend the weekend with our generous hosts Caroline & Stephen and Richard & Shelly. Michiganders who live in our Florida community of Kings Point, Sun City Center, FL, and are our social friends while in Florida, were invited. There were 15 of us: eight in the one house and seven in the other.

The newspapers being held up are issues of a Florida publication, “News of Kings Point.”

Friday night we enjoyed a great meal at Richard & Shelly’s followed by a phenomenal fireworks display and then a bonfire back at the Coopers. A few of us stayed up until the wee hours talking. Fascinating people!

Saturday we seemed to eat non-stop. We all went kayaking. Several had never tried it, including me. (I loved it and would like to get one or two for us to use in Michigan and maybe eventually a couple of them for Florida.) There was a Rummikub game and lots of chitchat. Ate some more, took a sunset pontoon boat ride with a back-drop of lots of fireworks off in the distance. We ended the night with another bonfire.

This morning we nibbled (still too full from yesterday to eat a meal). One by one/couple by couple, the guests left. We were last. It was nice to have some time with Caroline and Stephen. The more time we spend with them, the more I enjoy their company.

Fortunately most of the group will be at the Evart/ODPC Funfest.

I realize that when we get to our Florida condo, not all of this group will have arrived, but we’ll be closer to another “reunion.”

We’ve been following the progress of Debbie, the tropical storm which is stuck over central to northern Florida.

Here’s what we read from a Sun City Center community newsletter dated June 25th:

FOR OUR SNOWBIRDS
It’s Been Raining Here

We’ve had lots of rain — I have lived here 21 years and have never seen anything like it. As of 11:45 a.m. this whole Tampa Bay area came under a Tropical Storm Warning; a tornado was reported in Seminole (Pinellas County) I called around to several places around noon with this result:
1. The Security Patrol says there are several streets (“the usual suspects”) that are flooded, but none of the Sun City Center streets is impassable — they advised drivers to proceed very slowly and “stay on the high side”.
2. The Community Association reports no problems with its buildings or property on the Central Campus; we should give lawn bowling greens time to recover once the rain ends. On the South Campus, the tennis courts, pickle ball and volley ball courts should not be used for a couple of days at least — the horseshoe pits and softball field would benefit from lack of use until the rain has stopped for a day or more.
3. Hillsborough County is making filled sandbags available to the elderly/disabled public at 8718 Old Big Bend Road in Gibsonton. Sandbag materials will be available to those physically able to make their own. Additionally, each citizen will sign their name and provide their home address acknowledging the receipt of 25 sandbags or less.
4. The Information Center is closed today. Giving tours to visitors during a Tropical Storm Warning violated common sense.

The rain is supposed to hang around the rest of the week.

The photo says it all.

We’ve been doing “nothing.” I haven’t left the house since last Friday. Haven’t been out of the house except to shake the dust mop for three or four days. (It’s been too hot to venture out.)

Next week will be busy busy! We both have doctor appointments Monday (same doctor/same time). On Tuesday we’ll drive to Houghton Lake to visit John’s elderly aunt with his five siblings (six brothers or sisters plus mates.) Wednesday John and I will be hosting a Haithco Concert with our dulcimer club (the start of the 20th year of concerts in the park!!!) Thursday our subdivision is having an “association” dinner/meeting at a nice restaurant in St. Charles. Friday afternoon we head to White Lake for a visit.

White Lake? you ask. What’s in White Lake?

Caroline & Stephen Cooper and Shelly & Richard Brooks will be hosting a bunch of folks who live in Kings Point (Sun City Center, FL) during the winter months. I believe the crowd will include Wayne & Linda Conklin, Cindy & Mike Baker, Bob & Sherry Walker, Sharon Nead & Dave DeVires, and maybe others. It should be loads of fun. We’ll hang out in the water, and eat when hungry. I hope someone puts on a recording we can line dance to. I’m sure some will want to play Rumicube and some will just lounge in the sun and talk or read.

Friday night (the 29th) the White Lake community will put on a wonderful fireworks show. We attended the 2011 event and it was glorious!

The Coopers have invited us to stay several days but we may not hang around as long as some because we need to pack for the ODPC Evart Funfest (aka THE dulcimer festival) since we’re leaving on the 10th for that gathering and we’ll be gone until the 22nd or 23rd!

So this week we’re resting up for up-coming fun.

I’ve been corresponding with a fellow who lives in another Vesta Community in Florida. He saw my post about how smoking restrictions in Florida are less effective than in Michigan and leave much to be desired in our Kings Point community. This is the information I posted back in early April which he used as ammunition for his fight in his community: Florida’s smoking policies don’t go far enough

This fellow took my arguments to his Vesta board and today he received word that smoking is banned from the pool, kitchen, and dinning areas in his community.

He sent me the confirmation the message he received from Vesta.

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In Kings Point we need to get management on our side. We don’t need the smoke interfering with our breathing. The average age in Kings Point is 74. Do you think the average 74 year old needs smoke in his breathing routine? Hope our community “gets it.”

We’re spoiled by Florida’s early activities. Last night we went out for a fish dinner at the Moose Lodge. We thought we’d make a fun night of it and expected that we could go from there to an outdoor dance/concert (featuring a local band Ceyx). Although I wasn’t sure of the start time, I was pleased when we entered the Apple Mountain Golf Club grounds because there was a large sign saying “7pm fun begins.” (It was about 6:30.) As we waited, we realized the band hadn’t arrived. We finally got in a conversation with a couple near us (as they were packing up to leave). We questioned their departure and found that the music wouldn’t start until 8:00! (In Florida, most activities we attend are over by 8:00 or 9:00.)

Our conversation continued with this couple (approximately our age.) We explained our frustration because we can’t find any dances in the area. The gentleman said, that the Moose Lodge is known for line dances. We never hang around after dinner at the Moose, so this came as a surprise.

Finally at 8:00 the music started. It was obvious that the crowded dance floor wasn’t going to be a place for us. No line dancing, no ‘lectric slide, no country two-step, not even any waltzes nor foxtrots. The music was good but not what we were looking for (and the cement floor was going to be rough on John’s back.)

So about 8:15 we packed up and left for the Moose Lodge hoping that the fellow we’d spoken to had been correct.

The parking lot of the lodge was encouraging, but we soon discovered that karaoke was the entertainment of the evening. The quiet drinkers waited their turn to take the mic. No rowdy encouragement as we witness in Florida.

We were home by 8:45.

Our Friday night venture for fun and entertainment had flopped. Oh, well at least we got out.