John and I have worked on this condo since we bought it in 2008. Some of our projects exceeded our expectations but others were duds.

I love our slider windows at the end of the great room, the kitchen is ok (although I wish we’d gone with a different granite countertop.) The storage cabinets in the room as you go toward the garage are awesome. Our shower is great! The crown molding perfect! The extension added to our lanai and patio are what I could only dream of. But some projects have failed miserably! I hate our floor tile and it’s throughout our condo. Our couch isn’t as attractive as I’d hoped and both chairs are uncomfortable.

A week or so ago, I replaced a perfectly good plasma TV because it was really heavy and I feared an accident with a 32 inch flat screen, 75-pound, television falling over. (It had already happened to me once several years ago with an old tv.) So I bought a reasonably priced ultra high definition 50-inch Samsung. After the box was opened, I realized it was too big for my chest of drawers. It wouldn’t fit on the surface. I looked around on-line and found a bracket to mount on the top of my chest.

Today my handy guy put the bracket together and mounted a lovely wood-look ceiling fan in my bedroom. These items will never go on my “mistakes” list. I’m truly satisfied with them.

Next renovation will be the switch-out of the master bath vanity lights. I think the new light, which will be installed tomorrow, will be a great improvement!

Future improvements include pavers in the driveway and sidewalk, bedroom furniture, new vanity in master bath, garage cleanout, garage floor re-surface, and some power washing. I’d like all that done this summer.

Yes, I lost John, my husband, almost a year ago, but I still feel I’m the luckiest lady around! I wouldn’t change places with anyone. I got to enjoy John for nearly 33 years!!!! I was/am blessed.

True, things for me have changed with John’s passing but my life is still darned good! I don’t get to do as many social activities, but I have found things to keep myself occupied and I certainly can’t complain.

My tiny dog is a blessing. She’s so cuddly and loveable. She enjoys my lap and shows me affection constantly

Life is still awesome!

I buy in excess. Right now I have enough toilet tissue to last me til next year. I have multiples of my favorite lotion hand soap (Jergens). Sophie has a huge supply of dog food (dry and canned). I just bought lots of white washcloths (two bundles of 16 each) because I use them all the time. I have a large package of multiple dental floss plastic purse packs. My storage area contains lots of boxes of kleenex.

Almost always I have an extra big can of coffee, extra napkins, and a full tank of gas.

Yesterday I went on Amazon and found Tide in a different kind of container. I bought six 48 oz. Tide refills. Previously I bought a huge (150 ounce) container which costs about $20. The price of the refills is approximately the same but I am helping by not contributing more plastic waste. Instead of a bottle, the 48 oz. containers are plastic “bags.” I just had to pour the new bag into my old bottle and I’m set. (And I still have refills left to keep me in detergent for quite a while.)

April 10, 2019…

My tiny dog is really doing beautifully with her “training.” As long as I keep a very clean puppy pad for her to use, she heads right to it. If it’s soiled, she avoids it. In other words, she has me trained changing her pad.

April 12, 2019…

Here in Kings Point in Sun City Center, Florida, it is currently 89 degrees at 3:25. Beautiful breeze. Sunny with a few clouds. A tiny bit humid but not as bad as mid-summer. I would invite you all down to fill the spaces the snow birds have left, but honestly, it’s kinda nice with a smaller population. I wouldn’t want it this way year-round, but it is quieter and easier to pull out on SR-674 even with road construction. Snow birds, there’s always a more satisfactory tempo when you’re all here. Many of our close friend are snowbirds. Snowbirds are fun, lively, and great neighbors. They are important in what we know as Kings Point. But in the meanwhile we’ll enjoy this slow-down in our community’s pace with shorter lines, less traffic, more empty seats.

Later April 12, 2018…

I may have made a huge mistake with Sophie. Thursday I enjoyed a lovely dinner at Carrabba’s, Chicken Marsala. It was sooooo good but more than I could eat so I brought one huge breast back home with me and tonight I warmed it up and enjoyed it almost as much as Thursday. Sadly I couldn’t eat all of my leftovers so I cut up the leftover chicken breast in small pieces and gave it to Sophie. Have I now refined her pallet to the point that her all chicken dog food will be yucky for her? I may have spoiled her past the point of no return. She’s always enjoyed Nature’s Recipe’s Real 100% Chicken dog food which is so good it smells like people food but I’m sure Carrabba’s is better. What do I do now?

My Sophie has discovered the wild life outside the slider windows at the end of my great room. Squirrels are her favorites, but she also likes geckos and the white birds that walk past. She stands patiently waiting for one to appear, then there’s a blur as the squirrel runs the length of the patio and Sophie keeps up inside, barking at the critter. I doubt the squirrel can hear her through the heavy glass but Sophie’s proud that she’s saved us again from the attack of the fur creature.

I am learning to navigate the “single world” in Kings Point/Sun City Center(aka KP and SCC). I am finding I fit into the singles groups better than couples parties. Most singles events are 80% women but that’s fine. They’re generally nice folks. I’m realizing I’m not interested in most of the stuff that’s offered for singles.

I still love to dance. I don’t care if I dance with guys (although that’s nice) but line dances with 90% women are fine.

I’m not that interested in “game nights” nor potlucks.

I wouldn’t mind an old fashion cocktail party where you wander around with a drink in your hand and strike up a conversation with others at the party so you get acquainted. But maybe those are too old-school. (We do have one on Christmas Eve but I’d like a non-holiday one. Maybe I can host it once Sophie settles down.)

I did discover that SCC has two singles dances and KP one a month. I’d love to go to them. This month I can work two into my already pretty full schedule: one in SCC on the 27th and the other in KP on the 29th of April.

Life is good! I was lonely so I did something about it. You can’t expect to “fit in” unless you try. It’s fun to have so many activities you can’t crowd them all in.