Florida Bound Once More

I'm in the midst of all the myriad preparations necessary for me to run off to Florida for the winter. My insurance is in place...hopefully AIG will be reliable enough to pay any medical bills, the car is winterized, CAA strip maps have been ordered, and the trunk is half packed.

There are so darned many things, big and small, that have to be considered and taken care of. It's become a bit more of a problem since my husband passed away and I have to deal with it all by myself but it isn't impossible. When I look back, my husband pretty well dealt with the car and the yard which are the major items but I took care of all the minute items that pile up to overflowing and are just as necessary to take care of. Some times that huge pile of tiny details can be more formidable than the car and yard put together.

Women are by far more detail oriented than men and we've learned to make lists. I go a little further and make dozens of lists and then have to hunt them down in order to strike off completed tasks. My "big" list is a photocopied one that gets a complete going over the morning I leave for Florida. It's the one that reminds me to turn off the water, etc. Of course, it's been left sitting on the diningroom table for weeks so I can glance at it occasionally, too.

I've been e-mailing buddies from my Florida park and making happy plans for getting together again. Most mention my Monday morning coffee time and that reinforces my feeling that they enjoy it as much as I do. It gets bigger every year and I've long run out of room inside the trailer and even on the patio. This year we'll probably spread out onto the lawn once the latecomers arrive after the new year. It matters not one bit as long as we're all enjoying ourselves.

I planted tulip bulbs this morning and made a record of the number of geraniums I have outside to cut down and take to Florida. I'm a little worried the car is going to be overpacked again. I think it's time to forget about ever driving down there with a nice neat, half empty car because it apparently will never happen.

I'm starting to think I need to make a few last minute lists.