As we ride along, we’re enjoying lovely springtime vistas. The peach trees are in bloom as are the red buds and flowering crab apple trees. It’s really pretty. Down here the trees are that light shade of green that we usually experience about early May in Michigan.

Weather’s been grand so far. Yesterday we had temperatures near 80 even as far north as Locust Grove, GA, where we over-nighted. This morning at 10:30, it’s 62 degrees. Not bad.

We’re near the border of Georgia and Florida headed home. The time flew by We enjoyed the newly renovated condo, but both of us were ill a good share of the time and we were incredibly busy getting all of Mom’s stuff straightened out. I still have lots of paperwork to complete so Mom will be able to get a portion of Hoagie’s pension, but I hope to have the proper papers at home so I can finish it up and mail it out.

We enjoyed the condo and the amenitites more than ever before. It felt good to think of the place as “ours.”

We are thinking that after Mom’s gone, and we don’t have access to the condo, we will probably want to buy a place in Kings Point. It’s an easy relaxing life. For now, our concern is Mom, but we if given the choice, we’d still want to come down to this community.

We need to divest ourselves of some of our responsibilities. If we can work it out, we’d like to spend about six months in Florida with Mom and six months in Michigan. We’ll see.

Yesterday was the first time we’ve felt that we had the condo to ourselves.

Connie and her husband left for home yesterday (Saturday) before we got up. Her daughter had stayed until Thursday a.m.

It was difficult with them here. In the small condo, we felt crowded and intruded upon, but at the same time we tried hard to be understanding. We knew it was hard on her, especially since she had just lost her father. We put forth effort to make it work.

Things didn’t turn out as we’d expected and we were definitely “taken advantage of” but at least we are now the sole occupants of the condo and it’s a refreshing change.

I wish now that I’d taken a photo of the way the master bedroom was decorated after the “renovation.” Sadly Connie took nearly everything removable out of that room and the adjacent bathroom when she left. After Hoagie died, all furnishings in the condo were willed to my mother. Connie apparently didn’t see it that way. What a disappointment. We’ll go to Brandon today (my birthday) and replace the items we need in order to get by. The place still looks nice and we’re just happy to have it to ourselves. We still have about two weeks before we head home.

I’m finally over my cold (well, except for a little stuffiness). The weather has turned cool with highs only in the mid-60’s, but by about Tuesday, it should be nice again.

Next weekend, we hope our friends, the Conklins, can come over.

We’ve straightened out our status with the management of Kings Point and officially John and I are listed as the condo “residents” so we won’t have problems entering and leaving the gate.