Tornado Warning

I apparently slept through a wild rainstorm early in the morning but it was barely raining when I walked over to the clubhouse for our Swedish weaving class at 9 A.M. During the class, one of our residents came in to warn us that severe storms with tornadoes were heading our way. It still looked fairly clear so we finished our class and went home about noon. I was considering what I'd have for lunch when the rain began to fall more heavily so I turned on the weather channel to see how our tornado watches were coming along. Darned if we didn't have tornado warnings for our whole county and the severe rainstorms were in abundance right across central Florida. Tampa was being hard hit and I worried a bit about Shelley but she's in a nice big brick house so she'd most likely be okay. At first I thought I'd just stay in my trailer but tornado warnings were rampant in this area so I decided to leave my little tin can and go over to the cement block library and poolroom. Feeling a little foolish for going over there, I walked through the door and saw quite a few of my neighbors who'd had no compunctions about playing it safe. We all sat in the library which has windows along one side and watched the weather report on T.V. The pool room is right next door and much safer to be because it has only one tiny window but we felt safe where we were unless the winds picked up. They never did but the rain poured down heavily. Once the tornado warnings left our area we all went home. I've never before felt unsafe enough to hide in a concrete block building but maybe I'm getting smarter in my old age. It doesn't hurt to take precautions. The rain is still drowning us but there is no wind at all so I still plan to join friends at the clubhouse tonight to play cards.

Wicked Winds

A very serious storm is headed towards us and the winds are ferocious right now...wonder how bad they'll be when the storm actually hits? The sky is blackening as I write so it isn't far away. I cleared the patio of chairs and tables and even some plants so that they wouldn't be blown away. Before I leave to go home I always put my plants behind the Florida room anyway so this is just saving me time next week. It's getting so dark outside and we've been warned of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes so I'd better get off the computer and unplug it. More on the storm tomorrow!

Sand Hill Cranes

The residents of this park like the Sand Hill Cranes that live here. It's fun sharing our space with these large, goony birds who freely wander the streets and sometimes look at us as though we're their resident wildlife. It's big news when someone notices that the birds have started building their nests on the tiny islands in the middle of the ponds and their progress is followed intently. We've had some sever rainfall lately which has put the nests in some danger of flooding but the parent birds (mother and father) have been seen frantically building up the soil around the nests to protect the eggs. Interesting how dumb birds carry the instinct to protect their young when we keep hearing how too many human parents neglect their's. I think our birds are a little late this year because the eggs have yet to hatch. I'm used to seeing tiny little Sand Hill Cranes running next to the big ones as they cruise the park, then the little ones seemingly growing inches every day until they don't look much like babies anymore. I hope the eggs hatch before I leave next week so that I can see those babies. We look forward to this ritual every March...it marks the end of our Florida winter and we'll see those babies as full grown cranes when we return in the fall.

Friends and Foibles

A few months back, Mickey practically rebuilt one of the tipouts on my trailer to fix a water leak problem. The problem is persisting but it's too late in the season to tear the damn tipout apart again to try to fix it again but Mickey feels terrible about it. He did the very best he could but it's often difficult to discover where a leak originates so it isn't his fault. Sylvia came over today for a visit and Mickey came with her to look the problem over again and try to figure it out. He resealed a few places but I think we'll just have to leave it until the fall and hope for the best, that the mold that will surely develop doesn't do too much damage before we all get back here. Mickey has been a godsend to me but I hate to have him feeling responsible for dealing with my trailer problems. He has his own trailer to look after and he isn't a young man anymore...sorry, Mickey! I do hope he'll continue to want to help me out when needed but not to feel as though he has to. I'm at a complete loss when it comes to much that can go wrong with these tin cans so I sometimes wonder if I should be here at all. It's selfishness that keeps me here, though. I love the Florida park lifestyle and would really hate to give it up before I have to. Anyway, if you own a trailer you will always have one problem after another...some small and some monumental. If you're lucky, you'll have a good friend like Mickey.

A Nice Thing Happened

Today is Monday and it's also pouring rain out so what better place to go than to the casino. Barb, Joann, and I set out at 9:30 A.M. for our casino day, each vowing to win big...I faked it because I knew I wasn't going to win a damn thing. We visited casino #4 first and I lost $20 so we left there and had lunch at Wendy's. Wendy's is the only place to save money, apparently. Then we went to try our luck at casino #1 where I lost my second $20 but Joann won about $130. Thank heavens one of us has some luck! As we left the casino, it was pouring buckets and we would have been drenched by the time we got to the car. A middle aged man holding an umbrella stood nearby and heard us squawking and he offered to walk each of us to the car under the protection of his umbrella. We accepted his offer and thanked him profusely for his kindness because you just don't see much consideration for your fellow man anymore. His response was that when you do good deeds it will come back to you and that is so true. Acts of kindness can be contageous because they make you feel good...about yourself and about others. On we went to casino #5 where I finally got a bit of luck and only lost $7. In the end, Barb lost $25, I lost $47, and Joann came home a winner with $130. We'd had a fun day and it was just unfortunate for me that I was such a big loser. We're thinking of going gambling again on Saturday.

Goodbye Party

Our park administration put on a great going home party for us yesterday. They provided beer, wine, water, and barbecue dinner for us all "free" of charge so you can imagine how many people crowded into that clubhouse. There were a heck of a lot of people I have never seen before but that's what happens when seniors hear the word "free". The music was also great. Give seniors a large selection fo 50's, 60's, and 70's music and you can't go wrong. We knew the words and sang along. Do you think the seniors of 2030 will sing along to rap music with the same enthusiasm? Our regular card game bunch went over to the small clubhouse to play Rummoli at 7 P.M. and the night continued to be lots of fun. At the witching hour of 9 P.M., we went home. I don't know why we stop at 9 but that's been our routine for as long as I can remember. This coming week is when winter residents begin to evacuate the park and go home to various northern states and provinces. It's always a little sad to see them go, not knowing if they will all make it back here next winter but that's the way with seniors. We've hopefully learned to live for today and enjoy every moment because tomorrow isn't promised. Today is another full day of pleasure. Faye, Gary, Marilee, Jacky, and I are going to Tampa to spend the day with Shelley, John, Jake, Nicole, and Sam (Nicole's boyfriend). We'll be boating on Tampa Bay during the hot (91 degree) afternoon so I'm taking good sunscreen. Then it will be dinner at the Collonade. Yummy! Life is good!

Flowers Take Your Mind Off The Heat

I'm starting to complain about the heat. 90 degrees is too hot for me to feel comfortable and it means I'm spending more time indoors. There are a few nice things about the heat, though. One is that my trailer is surrounded by colorful flowers and the other thing is that it isn't snowing.

I would really love to live in a climate where the days never got higher than 75 and the nights cooled to 50-60. I also would like the sun to shine every day. Florida really is the sunshine state and most days are sunny.

Today I have to go out and buy something for the sun blisters or cold sores on my lip. I don't know how in the world I got them because I almost always keep my face out of the sun. In any case, they're there and they look awful. I'm tormented by various skin problems and many of them are directly related to too much sun in my youth. Now that I'm an old gal, I understand how deadly too much sun exposure on your skin can be and I take precautions.

I saw some more pictures of my sweet baby, Nolan, and I'm ready to plow my way through the snow that still blankets my home to get to him. I just wish he was a cuddler so I could hold him close for hours. His baby brother, Nash, is too young to fight me off so I'm going to get my cuddling in one way or another, though.

Today we're having a park provided barbecue with music from 3-7. I guess that means my group can still play cards tonight and that's a good thing because most of them will be leaving by the end of the month. I hate to see them go but many will be at the reunion in July so that helps.

Right now I'm going shopping in some air conditioned stores for a couple of hours. My credit card is taking a beating this month but I won't have any lot rent to pay all summer so it's okay. At least, that's what I tell myself!

March in Florida

My neighbor, Lisa, sent me a picture of my house. It was covered in snow, as was the driveway, the lawn, and the street. This is my reply...it's nicer in Florida right now!

Above are pictures of just a few of the flowerpots I have around the trailer. They give me much joy when I plant them and more joy each time I step outside and see them blooming.

One thing, though, that isn't so great is shown in the first picture. Right now the squirrels are tapdancing on the roof and trying to uproot some of the plants. There is a little pile of dirt on the table next to the petunias which shows that a scumbag squirrel has been at work.

I still like Florida better than Canada from November to April.

Joann and her Hot Shot Cart

My friend, Joann, has one of the coolest golf carts in the park and she loves racing around in it. These pictures were taken on Sunday when she was delivering her gorgeous amaryllis plants to the clubhouse to use for the wedding vow renewal. They almost outshone the bride.

Shelley Teaching

This was last Friday morning when Shelley came to give our coffee morning group a talk about breathing illnesses that some seniors suffer from. It's rather surprising how many seniors there are who have some sort of breathing disorder. Shelley needed to give this presentation for one of the classes she's taking on her journey to become a nurse practitioner.

I was so proud of my baby as she stood in front of us with no apparent nervousness. She was well prepared and knowledgeable in her presentation and in her answers to various questions we shot at her.

I love my girls!!!

Winding Down

Usually by this time of the year it seems like my Florida winter is winding down but not this year. There are so many activities still going on right to the very end of March and I want to hit all of them. I guess April 1st will be my reality check when I have to start putting things away for the summer.

Plants need to be carted behind the Florida room so they won't get direct sunlight. Kitty litter (to gather moisture from the humidity) and charcoal (to hide that moldy smell) has to be bought. New clothes for me to take home are definitely to be bought...I like to get the last minute clothes that are just arriving in the stores at this time of the year. And worst of all, saying goodbye to the people I love to be with, knowing I won't see most of them again until next fall.

I'm ready to go home, though. I ache to see Nolan and now there's the new little baby, Nash, that was born February 24th. And I'm looking forward to having more alone time. The pace of life around here would kill me if I lived it all year round. It's really tiring racing around and trying not to miss out on anything that resembles fun so I'm my own worst enemy.

I do love these people, though, and will honestly miss them all summer. We have a reunion to go to in July and a lot of them will be there so I do have that to look forward to. I know I harp on how great the people here are but it simply happens to be true. There are so many extremely nice people in this park that I sometimes think only the best end up here.

Today is another busy day. Laundry in the morning, lunch at the clubhouse, and dinner at Gary's Oyster Bar. Depending what time we get back to the park, there's also cards at the clubhouse at 7 P.M. I slept late this morning so my energy level is high and ready for the whole darned day.

I firmly believe that you do what you can today because tomorrow is always questionable.

Count Your Blessings

A beautiful thing happened today. A couple here in the park celebrated their 50th anniversary with a dinner party held in our clubhouse and attended by 136 family and friends. They were blessed with a perfect, sunny, warm Florida day and the hall was decorated beautifully by both family and friends, also. There seemed to be a scent of happiness in the air as people scurried about doing their best to make this day a good one for this lovely couple.

Caroline and Charles have two sons, one of whom was our master of ceremonies and one who is a chef. The chef did his magic, creating delicious pans of lasagna, chicken and biscuits, and meatloaf. The guests each brought salads or potato dishes. Everything I piled onto my plate was excellent and we all agreed it was one of the best dinners we've had in the clubhouse all winter.

But before the feast began, Caroline and Charles stood before our resident minister, Bill, and renewed their vows of 50 years ago. Both of them in their early 70's, looking at each other with such love in their eyes, and surrounded by the fruit of their lives together...children, grandchild, and many friends. It was a genuinely beautiful moment for all of us to witness.

Caroline looked so pretty in her bright pink suit...she always dresses in colorful clothes so something beige would have been out of character for her. Charles looked nice, too, and didn't mind being outshone by his wife. They both have some physical disabilities so chairs were provided for them to sit occasionally during the ceremony. No matter, it just drove home the message that love can endure long after the blush of youth has been left behind. These two people are committed to one another and have been for fifty years. I have no doubt they will continue their commitment to each other until the end of their lives.

That was the happy, loving couple of the day.

Then this little conversation was overheard from another couple. Keep in mind that this was all said in a joking manner.

she..."You've got a red nose."

he..."Well, you've got a big ass!"

..(long shocked silence)..

she..."Well, you've got a small dick!"

And we all laughed ourselves silly. Enough of the shmarmy, lovey stuff and now we're back to the reality of some other marriages.

The Winners and the Loser

I'm glad that my buddy, Joann, is the new Turd Queen...really, I am. Hopefully, I'll take her crown next year and I did try it on for size. It felt so good...so right.

We had a great fun day, one that I look forward to each year because it's such a silly day. I really, really wanted to win that crown, though. Sigh!

Note the plate of Kitty Litter cake...mmm, mmm, good!

This is just simple, innocent fun. It doesn't take a lot of rules or fancy outfits, just the ability to join in and not take ourselves too seriously. We're not here to impress but to laugh.

Just a note: One of the pictures is of two children who live here in the park. They became our turd retrievers, running willy nilly to gather up the turds as they were thrown. The kids had a great time gathering them up and placing them on Mark's table. At one point, the little boy picked up a turd that had gotten sandy so he took great care to brush all the sand off onto his t-shirt. So cute.

The Great 2011 Turd Toss

This is our 2011 Turd Toss, one of the highlights of our winter in the park. I'm sure I've mentioned many times in these blogs that one of my finer goals in life is to earn the Turd Queen crown. It didn't happen this year either.

I'm just going to give you a few of the Turd Toss rules and then post as many pictures as I can.

Two well used but hopefully cleaned old toilets are placed facing each other in the middle of the road about 20-30" apart. Some want them further apart but I whined loudly and got them moved to the 20' mark.

Four ladies are called up to stand behind them, two on each end. Each lady is given one toss of the turd (nylon wrapped squished speghetti) and, if they make it into the toilet, they are elevated to the Great Turd Toss Off.

Then four men have their turn. This done until all contestants have had one toss of the turd.

If more than one lady or one man manages to get the turd in the toilet, we have the Great Turd Toss Off and the winner is the new King or Queen of the Turds.

The person who started this grand tradition is Mark and he's referred to as our Head Turd. He tells us who is up next to toss the turd.

After crowning the Turd King and Queen, we have a lovely lunch of goodies plus the special Kitty Litter cake. This year we even had music and dancing. Before we know it we'll be featured in the society pages!!

Now, I'll just post more pictures of this fun event.

That's What Friends Are For

This morning at 3:30, I crawled out of bed and dressed, walked over to Sheila's trailer in the dark to join her and Tom on the way to the airport. We picked up Sylvia on the way. Tom goes home today and we never let Sheila drive alone to the airport in the dark. That's what friends are for.

Once Tom was through security at the airport, we 3 ladies went out for an early breakfast. Once fed, we hurried on home to have our naps. Today is the Turd Toss and we wanted to be well rested for the festivities!

I woke up at 10:30 to a knock on the door and opened it to see Joann with a lovely gift for me. It was one of her beautiful cactus plants that was in flower. It always makes you feel good when someone likes you enough to bring you a gift. I feel so lucky to have some really and truly wonderful people in my life who think I'm okay, too.

The concept of friends is not that you chum with people who are identical to you in their thinking but people who have some of the qualities you prefer. I've discovered over the years that I can't tolerate dishonest people and that I deeply admire people who are honest to a fault. I feel most comfortable with people like that and any little human flaws they might otherwise have don't matter at all. None of us are perfect because we'd be boring as hell if we were. Sometimes it's the little flaws that make us more interesting and fun to be around.

This afternoon we have our annual Turd Toss and there will be toilets, fake turds, music, and turd cake. You can bet that everyone present will have a lot of laughs. I'll post pictures and comments later.

Psychoanalysis

I sure hope I spelled that correctly but I'm too lazy to look it up in the dictionary. Anyway, I went out for dinner with 4 friends and we spent part of the time trying to psychoanalyze one of our difficult residents here in the park.

Everyone had had different experiences with this person, usually bad, but we all seemed to know exactly how to read him. What none of us understood was why a person who dearly wants to be loved and appreciated can be so utterly stupid in the ways they try to impress.

This person seems to have no idea how a human being should behave. I get the feeling they are acting a part when in company, playing the role they think is suitable to the occasion. It's sad to watch but interesting from a psychological point of view.

I've never known anyone like this before but maybe this person is no different from any other jerk, just a poorer actor. It's the jerks that are great actors and able to fool you that you need to look out for. When they're easier to spot, you learn quicker to steer clear of them.

One of the ladies in our group at dinner is also very interesting. She lives her life for god and is one of the most thoroughly religious people I've ever met. She wrote a book describing some of the miracles that have taken place in her life and that book gave me great insight into her way of thinking. I told her today that I envy her strong belief and the comfort it provides her but I can't feel the same way. I continue to struggle with the meaning of life.

A couple of lady friends dropped by in the early evening and we had a great time discussing the framework of a marriage. Each of us had been married at the age of 17 and stayed in the marriage for the duration. Where mine had been a stormy one, theirs had been pretty good but we didn't know why we'd failed or succeeded. I guess sometimes it's just that the right people with the right personalities met and fell in love with each other. It isn't easy to psychoanalyze a marriage. You can pick out obvious flaws and good points but to analyze the whole is close to impossible.

Well, I spent a good part of my day dissecting people and marriages. Interesting, but time to vegetate in front of the T.V. now.

Unsettled

I always try to analyze my feelings but now I'm kind of stumped. There is no question that I love being around people, especial the people I care about, but just the last few weeks I've begun to feel a little stifled. It's confusing me because I really do love all the activities available to me here in the park.

In the last few weeks I've begun to feel sort of overwhelmed with the constant activity but not enough to give anything up. I hate to miss anything but there's a part of me that yearns to be alone more often. Like I say, it's confusing.

Yesterday I spent 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. at an auction with Pat and Ken, then rushed home to brush my teeth and race over to the clubhouse for our HOA dinner. Right after the dinner and entertainment was over, 5 of us (love them all) played "31" until close to 9 P.M. I was in bed and sound asleep by 10 P.M. This morning I had breakfast with 6 friends (love them all) and then came home to repack my car trunk. I don't leave here until April 7/8 but I'm trying to be organized so I don't have to do it all at the last minute.

It's going to be really busy for the next 2 weeks and then I'll have a quiet week to start closing up the trailer for the summer. Once I'm back home I'll begin complaining about the lack of activity...you can bet your bippee!

Rainy Morning

This is what it looked like from the front of my trailer this morning. After every heavy rainfall, the road in front of the trailer fills up with water resembling a river. It has never risen much toward the trailer but tends to overflow and slide toward the clubhouse and the pond beyond. I guess my trailer must be on a bit of a rise.

The rain and winds were pretty wild last night and practically stripped all of the petals off the geraniums lining the walkway. Everything is growing fast and furious these days so I'll no doubt have full blooms again within the week. I love planting and growing flowers in the winter!

Well, the rain has stopped but we're having a couple of cool days in the mid 60's. Tomorrow is both our yard sale and our morning coffee so all my ladies will have to bundle up and sit outside to drink their coffee so I can man my table of yard sale treasures. Not really treasures, just a few items that never sold on Ebay.

Cards tonight and more laughter to enjoy. Life is darned good!

Warn Us

Here is what I know:

Three men who live together in the park frightened a young 12 year old girl by following her from one place to another. I don't know if words were spoken to her because our office management and our Home Owners Association refuse to give any information at all. Police were called and there is an investigation. The men are still living in the park.

My opinion is that the residents of the park should have been given full details (it's only by rumor that I know it involved the 3 men and the little girl). This is considered a safe area where visiting grandchildren are free to ride their bikes and wander over to the ponds to watch for alligators so any allegation of danger to them should demand notification. We need to know if there is even a possible danger to ourselves or our children so that we can take precautionary measures.

Rumors always fly freely in close knit quarters and this is no different. In short order, everyone here will know about the incident but they will know distorted stories about it. Why not give the known facts in the beginning which would also give the residents warning that they should watch themselves and their children just a bit more carefully?

Just a few short years ago I could leave my trailer unlocked all day long even when I was off running the roads and have no fear of an unauthorized person going inside. Then we had a few families with teens move in and a few of us reported things missing from their trailers so I got into the habit of locking up every time I left. The thefts were not mentioned by the park manager but, again, by word of mouth of the residents involved.

In the case of the frightened little girl, the park management and the HOA have failed us in a very important way. The loss of a few items pales in comparison to the danger to a child. This is serious business.

I have been told that the 3 men are still living in the park until the police complete their investigation. This makes sense until the rest of the story is known...the 3 men could have been evicted by the park owners on other, previous violations without waiting for the new investigation to be completed. They should have been evicted immediately for those reasons instead of allowing them to stay here and possibly harm another child.

You should never take chances with the health and well being of children.

The Luau

Every March we have our luau, a lovely dinner with a Hawaiian theme. A group of hard working people do the bulk of the work, cooking and decorating the clubhouse, providing the entertainment, and then cleaning it all up once the evening is over. This year they did their usual spectacular job and created a lovely evening for about 150 of our residents.

The entertainment fell a little flat for me. I loved the food and decorations but too much Hawaiian music was just...too much Hawaiian music. The man was very nice and did his job well but it was still too much. The park had cancelled our usual entertainer and hired their own choice but it didn't work out as well as they'd hoped. I don't know what the answer is but it would be nice if the music was only occasinally in the Hawaiian theme and then mostly good old 60's and 70's stuff. That's asking a lot of any entertainer who tends to specialize in one theme only.

Candy's crew did an excellent job and I know they started their day before 6 A.M. and it didn't end until well after 9 P.M. Thanks to their efforts, 150 of us had a nice evening.

Bringing Me Food

I've become the little old lady that people bring food to.

I'm not sure who was the first to start bringing me food but it was either Faye or my sweet, young neighbors, Lisa and Anna. I have to tell you that it was all well received and appreciated. It did make me wonder if they were really worried about the way I eat or were just being generous, though.

Down here in Florida, Faye continues to drop off the occasional treat and, again, I'm quite happy to get it. Yesterday, Joann brought me a bag of different flavored coffees and also a nice home made chicken pot pie. I was ecstatic!

No-one expects me to take them food in return (they've seen my fridge and heard me say how much I hate to cook) but I hope I make up for it by doing most of the driving when we go out.

With Lisa and Anna, I get to sample some really nice Chinese cuisine because their parents love to cook. The girls are also kind enough to join me at restaurants of different cultures so we can all experiment with new foods.

Faye's offerings tend to be fruit or veggies. I receive quite healthy foods from my donors so I'm getting the message that I might be someone who isn't necessarily taking care of herself. But there's nothing really bad about chicken nuggets, baked potato and Diet Coke...is there?

Senior's Health Concerns

Shelley is taking courses to elevate herself from an RN to a nurse practitioner and one of her credits will be for her to address a group of seniors on one or more of their health concerns. She asked me if I could bring together 8 ladies at our park so she could speak to them and, since more than that number come to our Friday coffee morning, I suggested she come over then.

First I have to find out what my coffee group would like to hear from her. Faye suggested a talk on sex but one of the other ladies added, "or lack of", and another lady suggested breathing problems which seem to affect quite a few of our people. COPD is one subject but there are a few breathing problems that afflict seniors so I'll talk to my group today and make a list.

Shelley is quite open to anything we want to hear about and I know she'll make the morning a lot of fun, too. The ladies here are not shrinking violets so I'm sure the session will be a lively one with lots of laughter.

Shelley plans to do her talk on the 18th and then, if anyone wants, to come back on the 25th and speak to us about the interaction of different drugs and how they might be harmful. If the weather turns against us and we can't have our coffee morning outside, we'll all go over to the small clubhouse.

I can't wait to see my beautiful baby in professional mode in a light hearted way. Any other time I've watched her perform professionally was not a happy time. She came back home to Canada to help nurse both Dennis and David in their final days and was invaluable to the family during those awful times.

I'm thinking that speaking to our coffee ladies will be very different...informative, but with a fun side to it.

Baby Talk

I think most of us keep cute baby phrases in mind long after the said baby learns to speak like the rest of us. My Kim, at the age of 2, called her baby sister Ninny (Cindy) and then her son, Matthew is famous for yelling, "Am Gavin" (I'm driving), when we'd leave the house to go to the car. His Grampa would let him sit on his lap and steer.

Cindy's son, Tyson, is well remembered for having said, "Tay Twait" (stay straight), when directing us to his house.

The other day at Swedish weaving, one of the ladies told me that one of her sons is going down in history for having called split pea soup "pip pea poop" and I think that is a real winner in the land of baby talk.

Babies don't talk like that very long and it's always so sweet to remember their first attempts at language. We treasure it.